


A Fun Night Out

by Foxtrotbeastbot, hyenafur



Series: Cop and Baker [16]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Co-Written, Fight mention, Gen, Hockey, this monster took us months!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2021-01-24 09:28:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21335998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Foxtrotbeastbot/pseuds/Foxtrotbeastbot, https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyenafur/pseuds/hyenafur
Summary: The Bogo-Brush family heads out to the Big Game, where they run into some new and familiar faces. Written with Hyenafur.
Relationships: Bogo/Felicity, Robin Rowan/Marian Rowan
Series: Cop and Baker [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/451723
Kudos: 7





	1. Lunch

Marian Rowan smiled as she looked around the children at her feet. The last ten minutes were usually devoted to picking up all the toys, crayons, pens, pencils, papers, erasers and assorted items they’d used during the day, and returning them to their proper places. Anytime after that was usually reserved for them to pack up their things before she read them another Harriet Human tale. The children always adored hearing about the human girl the bear family adopted and raised as one of their own, it was her favourite book when she was their age as well.  
She had just finished the last page when the lunch bell rang out, soliciting a groaning, “Aw,” from the mix of kits, cubs, pups, foals and fawns gathered around her feet.  
“Don’t worry, children,” the plump, white shirted and black and gold skirted badger said as she closed the book. “Harriet will still be here Monday when you return. But for now, it’s time for you to head home to your mummies and daddies.”  
All the children nodded their heads as they slowly began to stand up and head for their backpacks hanging on the wall before they formed a line and marched into the hall.

Ellie wasn’t the only one heading outside when the lunch bell rang. Her brother, Danny, had just finished up Mrs. Bellenoire’s Third Period Kinglish. Although the rhino was usually in a hurry to get to lunch, he was especially in a hurry for this particular one. It had taken Danny almost three days to get coach to agree to let him miss the afternoon Boxing Class and Boxing Team Practice so he could get home early, which meant he had absolutely nothing to do until then. The only downside was that he had agreed to meet up with the coach Saturday Afternoon at Rusty’s Gymnasium, one of the few gyms with a full boxing ring and full staff.  
“Joo’re mine from doo til fow-her, then Danny,” the gruff old bear with the crooked muzzle had said, “I’m compadres wit dee owner of Rusty’s. Ever since we were cubs. Dis woan be like normal practice where joo’re punching some ‘alf trained novice. Joo’re going up against real boxing trainers. Pros. Naht some drunk they found rolling aboud on dee sidewalk. Unnerstan? I better see joo in de ring at 1:55. Not 1:58. Not 1:57. Not 1:59 and 58 sekonds. Joo show up 15 minutes early, get dressed and get joor gloves on and get in dee ring. Unnerstan me, son?”  
“Yes, sir,” the rhino had replied, nodding his head enthusiastically.  
“Good. Joo’re the bes fighter on de team, Danny. Joo go in dat ring, joo make me proud.” Coach Bearcerra said, patting the rhino on the shoulder.  
“Thanks, coach. I will make you proud.”  
“Good.”  
Hearing Coach Jose tell him he was the best fighter on the team had made him grin. In fact it still did as he replayed their conversation over and over in his mind while walking down the hall.  
“Hey Danny!” Someone called out.  
The rhino turned his head around as he heard the words his coach had told him a few days ago. “Oh! Hey Barry,” Danny called back as he slowed his pace so the grizzly bear could catch up to him.  
The cinnamon colored bruin chuckled as he moved in beside his teammate.”You sure are smiling a lot today. Anything happen?”  
“Yeah. I had a talk with coach on Wednesday.”  
“Oh? What about?” Barry cocked his head slightly in curiosity as he looked Danny.  
“Well, I’ve got a family function tonight that I don’t want to be late for,” the sentence was barely out of Danny’s mouth when the bruin asked.  
“You’re going to the Kings’ game tonight?”  
“Yeah. Pops got us tickets to a suite.”  
Barry’s eyes went wide. “A suite! Dang! Those cost like… five grand! My dad won’t even get one when we want to go, and he makes bank at Kratchet.”  
“Pops got them at a discount. 'Cause he’s the Chief of Police and all.”  
“Dude! You are so lucky! I wanted to go to that game, but it’s completely sold out.”  
Danny’s lips moved before he completely thought everything through. “I could ask pops if you could come. It’s a Tier A suite.”  
“Really? That would be awesome! I hear those things seat like… 15 people!”  
“And they’re catered.”  
“No way.”  
“Yes, way!”  
“Dude! Please ask your dad if I can come.”  
Danny’s mind finally kicked in, “You just asked Barry out on a date.”  
“Oh my god, I did,” the rhino said, answering his own mental question not in his own head but where everyone, including Barry could hear him.  
“Oh my god, you just did what?” The bear asked, an eyebrow cocking almost in the exact same way Elise’s did when she began asking questions.  
“N-nothing. Nothing,” Danny tried to brush it off like a hot ember had landed on his letterman jacket. “I’ll ask pops if it’s cool for you to come with us.”  
“Sure,” Barry replied with a nod, “Just text me back, okay?”  
“Y-yeah. Sure. Uhm. You won’t be mad if he says no?”  
The grizzly shook his head. “Nah. There’s always next year. Plus they do the whole First Reponder’s Night things with all the sports teams. The Stars have one, the Giants, even the soccer team has one.”  
The rhino nodded his head. “Yeah. Maybe we can try to get tickets to one of those nights if it doesn’t work out.”  
“Sure. Just keep me in the loop, okay.” Barry patted Danny on the shoulder. “If I don’t see you later, I’ll see you Monday.”  
“S-sure. See you Monday,” Danny replied as the grizzly slipped away.  
“CRAP!” His mind screamed as he reached up to run his fingers over his face while his internal monologue continued while he walked towards the door. “God I hope pops says yes.”

The minute Danny stepped out the door and onto the heavy concrete steps that lead down from St. Marian’s entry, the rhino realized just how out of place he was. Almost all of the people out front were Ellie’s age, the exceptions being the teachers who were there to make sure the children got home safely and the parents or drivers who were picking up said children. Slowly descending the steps, the rhino began to look around for pop’s car, a last year’s model Bruinly. The car was boxy, blue-black, big and built like a main battle tank. Almost like the gruff old water buffalo himself, actually. Only problem was that there were six of them.  
“Pops usually gets out of the car when he picks us up,” Danny reminded himself as he walked down the steps and into the student loading and off-loading area, slowly making his way towards Ellie, her classmates, and the short older looking badger who was standing beside them.

Ellie was staring out at the roundabout in front of her as each car pulled up and stopped. There were a few cubs who were being picked up by their older brothers and sisters, a few more that were picked up by personal drivers in cars that looked almost exactly like the one her daddy drove, and the rest were a steady stream of parents.  
“Hmmm,” the fawn hummed nervously to herself as one cloven hoofed foot scratched at her shin nervously. Usually when Bogo was going to be late, he’d call ahead, but she didn’t see him anywhere yet. One of her sand colored ears flicked about the top of her head as she continued her scan, hoping that he’d arrive soon.  
“Hey Ellie,” Danny called out towards his sister, waving one big hand in the air in her direction.  
The young gazelle turned her head and smiled happily. “Danny!” she squeaked and bolted towards her older brother, giving him a big hug, or as big a hug as she could give him.  
The rhino grinned, helping Ellie shimmy up his arm and to her usual perch on his shoulder, eyes moving from his little sister and up to her teacher.  
The old sow badger was just chuckling and shaking her head from side to side. “You must be Daniel Brush,” she said as she stepped forwards. “Ellie has told us a lot about you.”  
Danny wasn’t sure what to make of that. “She has?”  
“Oh yes, she started a grand debate about what makes a great older brother,” the short, or at least short in comparison to a rhino, woman chuckled. “I dare say that you two are nigh inseparable.”  
“We are Mrs. Rowan,” the gazelle giggled as she looked over at her teacher.  
“Been like that for a while.”  
Mrs. Rowan simply nodded her head. “That’s understandable. I’ve taught many siblings in my time here at St. Marian’s and many of them are like you two.” The badger paused, “I do have to say it is a bit… irregular that you’re picking up your sister without informing anyone else.”  
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Rowan. I wasn’t really expecting to pick her up. We’re both, kinda, waiting on pops to take us to lunch.”  
“Ah yes. I’m sure he’ll be here any minute.”

The words had barely left Mrs. Rowan’s lips when Chief Bogo pulled up, but not in the Bruinly. He’d actually taken HIS squad car, the one that had Chief of Police printed on the side. Opening up the driver’s side door, the large water buffalo slipped out of the squad car. “Sorry I was a bit late,” He said with a smile. “They were detailing her,” the bull added while patting the hood of the car.  
Both Danny and Ellie grinned as they slowly moved towards the Chief of Police’s vehicle. “No worries, pops. I just got out here.”  
“You weren’t late, daddy,” the gazelle giggled sweetly as she bounded around to the other side of the bulky car, reaching down to pull on the door handle and slip inside.  
Mrs. Rowan chuckled softly to herself. “Ellie has been excited all day. She told everyone that she was going to see the hockey game tonight.”  
“I got us tickets last week,” Bogo replied with his own smile. “I’m surprised she hasn’t been talking about it since Monday.”  
“Who said she has not,” the old badger laughed. “I hope you have a wonderful time. Hockey games are usually quite invigorating.”  
“Oh? You’ve been to one before,” the buffalo asked.  
“Several, in fact. My husband usually takes me, though tonight’s the first professional game I’ll be seeing.”  
“Your husband’s a Kings fan?”  
“Since he was a kit. He actually got me into it. He always wanted to play for them, but it just hasn’t been in the cards.” Mrs. Rowan said.  
“Well, we all have our dreams. And who knows, we might run into you tonight.”  
“And if we don’t, I do hope you enjoy yourselves.”  
“Thank you, Mrs. Rowan.” The chief and his two children said almost in unison, Danny having slipped into the passenger seat.


	2. Lunch part 2

Ellie was bouncing in her seat the whole way to Big Macintosh. She’d remembered it was Danny’s turn to pick lunch this week, just like she promised. Danny was twisting his jacket hem nervously.   
“Hey Pop? Can I ask something?” he finally asked.  
“Sure Danny, what is it?”  
“Is it possible to bring a friend with me tonight? My friend Barry, on the team, he wanted to see if he could come too.” Danny’s ears fell flat as he winced, waiting for the answer.  
“Barry…” Bogo hummed aloud. “He’s that light coated grizzly, isn’t he? The one who got assigned as your ‘Buddy’ when you joined the team?”  
“Yeah. All junior boxers get a ‘Buddy’ to help them find their paws. But we became buds for real. Can he come?”  
Bogo frowned slightly. He hated to deny Danny a chance to hang out with his peers, but the tickets were already bought and paid for, and he really wanted this outing to be a family affair.  
“Sorry Kiddo, not this time. Tonight’s just about us as a family. Maybe the next time, okay?”  
“Okay, I’ll text him and let him know.”  
Bogo reached over to pat the young teen’s shoulder, still keeping his eyes on the road. Ellie piped up from the backseat.  
“Danny? You can have the toy from my foal’s meal if it makes you feel better.”  
“Thanks, Ellie, but it’s your toy. You keep it,” the rhino said with slight disappointment, before remembering that Barry had told him not to worry about it. That, and he’d mentioned how the other sports teams also had First Responder’s Nights. “Uhm. Hey pops?”  
“Yes, Danny?”  
“Can Barry come next year? If not, I hear the Giants are supposed to have a First Responder’s Night. Could we go to that?”  
Bogo raised an eyebrow. His son really wanted to spend time with Barry. “I don’t see why he couldn’t come next year. As for going to any of the others, well, we’ll have to play it by ear.”  
Danny nodded his head. It was mostly an answer, but a maybe was going to be the best he could do right now. “Sure thing, pops,” the bull rhino acknowledged, right before pulling out his phone and shooting Barry a text.  
“Hey Big Bear.”  
“Hey Raging Rhino. Sup?”  
“Pops says no.”  
“Awh. Bummer. Next year?”  
“Maybe. Said maybe 2 giants or stars.”  
“Np. Hang out 2morrow?”  
“What time r u thinkin? Coach wants me 2 go 2 Rustys cause missing practice 2day.”  
“When r u done?”  
“4.”  
“U could come over after 4 if u want.”  
“Will ask pops.”  
“Will ask dad. Im sure u could spend the night if u want.”  
Danny’s heart nearly skipped a beat. “Let me check first.”  
The rhino slowly raised his head back up from his phone to look over at Bogo. “Hey Chief. Barry was wondering if he and I could hang out tomorrow.”  
“I don’t see why not,” the water buffalo replied, giving Danny a quick glance.  
“He said I could stay the night if I wanted too.”  
Bogo’s flat teeth bit down into the side of mouth just lightly enough not to break the skin. “I don’t see why you can’t, but you’re going to have to ask your mum.”  
Danny nodded his head. “Sure. I’ll ask momma,” he replied before looking down at his phone.  
“Pops says y. Got 2 check w/ mom bout spending night.”  
“Np. txt me what she says. Mine say it’s cool.”  
“K”  
The rhino put his phone down as he looked up at the road his pops turned them onto the expressway.  
“You excited for the game,” the buffalo asked as they merged with traffic.  
“You kidding? This is going to be awesome! I mean, even if the game sucks, we still get the best seats in the place.” Danny beamed.  
“A bit surprised that Coach Jose let you out of practice,” pops added, giving his son a peripheral glance.  
“Not exactly.”  
Martin raised an eyebrow. “You’re not skipping class and practice, are you?”  
Danny shook his head. “No, Coach Jose wants me to go over to Rusty’s Gymnasium with him tomorrow to make up for it.”  
“Rusty’s? Is that the place the Stallion trained?” the buffalo asked, trying to jog his own memory.  
“Yeah. Coach Jose is a friend of the owner. He wants me to train with real pros.”  
“Coach Jose must think highly of you then.”  
“He told me I was the best boxer on the team,” Danny replied with a twinkle of pride in his eyes.  
Bogo smiled. “Sounds like he wants to make sure you stay the best.”  
“Yeah, he really does!! Coach Jose said they have actual boxing partners and instructors,” the rhino paused, “Not that Coach Jose isn’t a real boxing instructor, but it’s hard to get better when you’re sparring against your team mates, ya know?”  
“Oh, I know. When I was a rugby footballer, our coach got made sure we had exhibition matches scheduled with teams outside our district. Usually smaller schools that recruited specifically for rugby football. They were always our toughest opponents. Not that the big schools around here didn’t offer a challenge, but small schools like St. Marian’s and St. Robin’s can be a lot more selective when it comes to recruiting for sports.” The buffalo commented, a few fond memories of his High School days flooding into his mind. “We used to say that we never travelled for away games; we took pilgrimages.”  
Danny let out a small snorting chuckle. “How far did you end up travelling?”  
“One time, we took a train to Duwamish and then got on a bus to play the Duwamish Catholic School for Males,” Bogo said almost in a nonchalant voice.  
The rhino’s eyes went wide. “That far?!”  
“How far is it from here to Duwamish, daddy?” the fawn in the back seat asked.  
“Well, princess, it’s about 3,000 miles from here.”  
Ellie still looked a little confused.  
“It’s really really far, Ellie,” Danny said before Bogo could explain. “Barry told me his family took a road trip out there over the summer, and it took them almost a week.”  
“Ohhhh. Okay,” the gazelle nodded her head in understanding or at least now understanding a bit better than she had previously.  
The care went a bit quiet for a few minutes before Bogo reached a hand towards the AM/FM radio. “You two won’t mind if I put on the radio?”  
Danny shook his head. “I don’t mind, pops.”  
“Okay, daddy.”  
The buffalo smiled as he twisted the volume knob to turn on the car’s radio.

“Welcome hockey fans to the Kings’ Pregame Show! Only. On AM 700, W-Zee-Oh-Oh, Zootopia’s best radio station for sports.” An announcer boomed over his microphone while trying to hide the sound of shuffling papers. “It has been a wild week for your Zootopia Kings who went one and one on the road last week after facing the Bostwulfstone Minutemammals and the Fillidelphia Rebels. But now they’re back home and hosting the Saskwatomin Prairie Dogs. However, we can’t talk about Zootopia and Sports without mentioning the former Skaciwani Pirate’s player, Kody Rowan. Yesterday, the current Saskwatomin player sat down for an interview with W-Zee-Oh-Oh’s own Bob Canter.”  
There was a nearly undetectable pause as the taped interview began to play.  
“So, Kody,” Bob began.  
“I actually go by my middle name, Robin.”  
“Ah. Good to know. Do people ever call you Robby?”

Bogo let out a shout. “I KNEW IT!”  
Both Ellie and Danny looked at their father. “Knew what, pops?”  
“I’ll tell you in a minute. Let’s listen to the interview.”

“No.” Robin’s answer was firm.  
“So. Robin… you’re currently the oldest rookie ever drafted into the MHL. There are a lot of people who think you don’t deserve to be here. How do you respond to them?”  
“The same way anyone else does; win games.” There was a confidence in Robin’s voice that spoke of great determination.  
“Of course. Now you’re from Wolfsberg originally? How did you end up in Zootopia.”  
“I was born in Z’topia Central Hospital, so I’m originally from Z’topia, I just spent most of my childhood between Bunnyburrah, Wolfsberg and Z”topia.”  
“So how did you wind up in Zootopia?” Bob questioned.  
“My dad’s from here. I moved out to live with my grandparents just after 8th Grade so I could go to St. Robin’s.”  
“Did you love hockey before or after you moved to Zootopia?”  
“Before. Wolfsberg didn’t have much in the way of school supported hockey, so I played little league every winter. As soon as I moved to Z’topia, I went down and signed up for as many classes at the Tundratown rink as I could, that and Summer League.” There was a small squeak of a chair as Robin adjusted himself in his seat.  
“You mentioned your dad earlier. Did you get your love of the sport from him?”  
There was a long awkward pause.  
“Yes. Daddy played for St. Robin’s and Z.U. He even played for the Kings for two seasons.” There was something in the tone of his voice that said it was a half truth.  
“I see, so you were a hockey legacy at St. Robin’s and Z.U.? Sounds like quite a privilege.” Bob pried again.  
“I didn’t just walk in and get on the team the first day because daddy was drinking buddies with the coach. I had to work five times harder than anyone else. I earned my first line Varsity spot at St. Robin’s, and I earned my first line Varsity spot at Z.U.” By the tone of Robin’s voice, Bob’s probing had hit a nerve. But suddenly, the tone of Bob’s voice change as he asked the next question.  
“So what did you do after college? Everyone knows that you player for the Skaciwani Pirates for nearly a decade. Did you ever try out for the Tundratown Glaciers?”  
“They were the first team I tried out for.” The answer was swift, and with a very light hint of bitterness.  
“Ah. Final questions, Robin, and these are going to be a bit rapid fire. You said you watched hockey growing up. Who was your favorite player?”  
“Wayne Gretko and Chris ‘Red Streak’ Rowan.” The answer came quickly.  
“And your Favorite team?”  
“Z’topia Kings.”  
“For the game tonight, are you expecting any loved ones to come and watch?”  
“My wife’s going to be there, so are my grandparents, and my mama and step-daddy.” The twang appeared again.  
“Final question for you because you said your favorite team growing up was the Kings. Do you still want to fulfill your childhood dream and play for the Kings.”  
There was a long pause.

“That’s a loaded question if ever I heard one,” Bogo grunted, “downright dirty.”  
“What do you mean, pops?” Danny inquired.  
“If he says no, he alienates any fans in Zootopia. If he says yes, he alienates all the Prairie Dog fans,” the water buffalo explained as he listened intently.

“If they want me to play for them, then they can call and arrange a trade with the Prairie Dogs. But until they do, I’m going to continue to play for Saskitomin.” Robin replied.

“Maybe he should go into politics,” Martin chuckled. “I think he’d give old Lionfart a run for his money.” The fox’s answer to the loaded question was perfect; leaving complete ambiguity about whether or not he’d want to play for the Kings.  
Danny snickered while Ellie let out a squealing giggle. “Hehe! Lionfart!”  
The water buffalo paused. “Don’t ever call Mayor Lionheart that. And don’t tell your mum I called him that either.”  
“We won’t.” Danny smirked, stifling his snickering. “But momma doesn’t like him any more than you. She says after he got into office, he really didn’t give predators the help he promised.”

The interview tape ended with the main program announcer speaking. “And that was our very own Bob Canter last night, who now joins us in the studio. So. Bob. What did you think of Ko… I mean Robin Rowan?”  
“You know Jim, he was a very nice mammal. Strong handshake, always made eye contact, respectful.”  
“Even when you managed to step on a nerve.”  
“Well, Jim, I’ve been doing interviews for quite a while, and you often don’t know when you’ve stepped on someone’s tail until they react. Surprisingly, he’s one of the few players I’ve interviewed that reacted calmly when I brought up predator privilege, especially when dealing with sports and academics.”  
“Mmmhm,” Jim hummed. “Was there anything that actually got cut from the interview?”  
“There’s always stuff you have to cut for time, Jim,” Bob replied. “I think we spent a good half hour recording, and our producers did an excellent job of slicing that down into something more manageable for our listeners. However, some of what did get cut was how he grew up in Bunnyburrow before moving to Wolfsberg. Did you know he was raised by a single mother and her family?”  
“I think that’s news to me and most of our listeners.”  
“He also told me about not getting to meet his father, ‘Red Streak’ Rowan, until just before he passed away, and then dealing with his mother’s marriage to a wolf a few years later.”  
“I’m not sure I follow the last one, Bob,” Jim’s voice was filled with curiosity.  
“Well, Jim, you’d understand if you ever met him, but Robin Rowan is tall for a fox. Very. Tall. He told me that he’s been mistaken for a red wolf and a red jackal a few times.”  
“So is he part wolf or jackal?”  
“No. He really is a fox. But it’s what caused him to have an identity crisis, which he finally came to terms with when he convinced his parents to let him move to Zootopia.”  
“It seems like he had a bit of a rough life growing up.” Jim sounded concerned.  
“He told me about how hard it was to make a living in Bunnyburrow if you were a fox. Honestly, it was like listening to those uncomfortable stories a few family members used to tell about life back in the 1950s, except from the point of view of the victim.”  
“And then you asked the predator privilege question.” Jim pointed out.  
“Sometimes, even when you think you are prepared for an interview, and think you’ve done all your research, often times you’ve only scratched the surface. Had I known about that, I wouldn’t have asked about predator’s privilege. After I asked the question, we spent 15 minutes discussing how hard his life was as a kit. I’m sure our listeners may have noticed, I know I did, but that 15 minute discussion happened right before I asked about what he did after college. I wish it hadn’t gotten cut for time.”  
“Well, on the bright side, our producer is giving me the signal that our listeners can listen to the full interview on-line through our website w-w-w-dot-W-Zee-Oh-Oh-dot-com.”  
“I’m sure they’ll enjoy it.” Bob replied just before Jim resumed the broadcast. “Coming up next, we’ve got a traffic and weather update as well as the latest scores from around the MHL and a visit from a super star Kings super fan, Zootopia’s own, Hornz Mackenzie. Stay tuned after these messages from our local sponsors.”

The shrill squee that bellowed out of Ellie’s lips was enough to make Danny and Bogo try to cover their ears if they hadn’t been driving (though it did drown out the advertisement for Gazelleria Furniture).  
“Hornz Mackenzie! Hornz Mackenzie! Daddy, can we go through the drive through so we can listen? Pretty please?!”  
Bogo let out a small chuckle. “I don’t see why not, if you promise to not spill anything in the car.”  
“I won’t, daddy,” the bouncing gazelle replied, excitement permeating her voice.  
The water buffalo nodded his head as he took the next exit.

The trio were just pulling up to Big Macintosh’s when the regular broadcast resumed after traffic and weather.  
“And welcome back to our studio here in the beautiful Stables’s Center. I’m your host Jim Slimtail and we are joined by our special guest; Zootopia United super star and Zootopia Kings super fan, Hornz Mackenzie. We’re glad to have you here, Hornz.”  
“It’s always a pleasure t’be ‘ere, Jym.”  
“So, Hornz, what do you think of the match up tonight against the Saskwitomin Prairie Dogs?”  
“Wayl, Jym, Ah wunn’t be a Kaings’ fan if I dinn’t tell ya that the Dogs’ll be steamrolled t’night, baht Ah ‘ave t’say that th’Dogs aren’t a bad lookin’ er playin’ team. They’ve been buildin’ a strong playar base fer a good tree years new, and Log’n Runnin’ Walf’s solidified ‘is place as pack leader. They’ve made sam very gud picks in th’last few drafts. So ah wunn’t be surprised if th’Dogs gave us a good match t’noight.”  
“So, the question on everyone’s mind is; what do you think about the team drafting a 36 year old rookie?”  
“Ah’ve watched ‘im play on the Skaciwani Poirates when they’d venture down t’Tundratown. Rowan’s got gud fundamentals, an he nay keeps the puck fer ‘imself. Unlike ‘is dah, ‘is goal stahts were n’er great, but ya should look at ‘is assist numbers. Ya need summon that’s a gud passer on yer team, just like in futball.”  
“You probably get tired of this next question, Hornz, but how did you discover your love for hockey?”  
“Nah! Ah dunna mind it, Jym. Ah was a footballer since Ah was a wee fawn, but Ah member comin’ t’Z’topya after university t’ play fer Z’topya Unoited. Yung g’zelle in th’big citie an all tha. Managed t’get meself lost down in Tundratown with about $100 in me pocket. Managed t’ foind a pub. Course itwas winner and th’ off season fer MLS, so tweren’t much on the tele ‘cept the Glaciers’ match. Ah member orderin’ a point and watchin’ th’ game. Was just like watchin’ futball, ‘cept on ice. Same strategies Ah’d seen an used in futball, but s’much faster. Ah fell in love with th’ game. Erryone at the pub explain’d th’game t’me an told me bowt the Kaings’ match the next day. So th’ next noight, Ah wen an bought meself tickets.”  
“With what you had left after then going to the pub the night before?”  
“Nah. Ah’d fergotten me card bahck at th’otel. Was takin’ th’metro to get a peak at Z’topya, baht got lost tryin’ t’find the connectin’ station.”  
“Ah.”  
“Ben goin’ to erry Kaings’ and Glaciers’ game Ah can e’er since.”  
“Reserved seats?” Jim inquired.  
“Ah bought a box suite. Usually ‘ave me an m’mates up there for a point an a match. Not tha Ah dunnu like sittin’ rink soide erry once in a whoile.” Hornz replied.  
“Oh? Anyone else joining you tonight, Hornz?”  
“Just somma me mates from Unoited.”  
“I see, well, Hornz, do you have anything you’d like to say to the audience.”  
“Go Kaings! Go!”

Danny looked over at Bogo. “Did you understand ANY of that, pops?”  
“I did,” the bull chuckled as he looked up in the mirror back at Ellie. “Did you understand what he said, sweetheart?”  
The fawn’s head started to shake no, before nodding to a yes, but just continued in a circle.  
Bogo chuckled. “Some Kinglish accents aren’t easy to understand.”  
“THAT WAS KINGLISH?!” the rhino next to the water buffalo asked, his jaw hanging open and eyes wide. “Mrs. Bellenoire would have a heart attack.”  
“Pictish, actually, but you’d be surprised how many mammals have trouble understanding me sometimes,” he replied, thankful that there’d been a line in the drive thru at Big Macintosh’s so they could listen to the interview without interruptions.  
“People can’t understand you sometimes? I mean, momma and I understand you perfectly,” Danny retorted, a bit perplexed by Bogo’s statement.  
“Mine isn’t as thick as it was when I was a calf,” the bull mentioned as they finally pulled up to the menu.  
“Welcome to Big Macintosh’s. Would you like to try our new Mega Macintosh?” A somewhat garbled and cracking young voice came over the loudspeaker.  
Bogo looked over his shoulder at Ellie. “Do you know what you want, princess?”  
Ellie nodded her head. “Nuggets and apple slices!” The gazelle said with a confident voice.  
The buffalo shifted in his seat as he turned his attention back to the loudspeaker and microphone sitting next to the large menu. “No thank you. I need one Veggie Nugget Foal’s Meal with Apple Slices instead of fries… and,” he paused to look at Danny.  
He didn’t even have to ask as the rhino leaned over to speak his order. “Three Royales with Cheese and a side of large fries and a large Claw Cola.”  
“Would you like to save $3.00 and make that a Triple Royale with Cheese, sir?” The crackling, squeaking young male’s voice asked.  
“Wait… you have that?”  
“Yes sir. It’s part of the new menu items.”  
Danny was about to think over his answer, but Bogo beat him to it. “Yes, he will.”  
“Okay. I have a Veggie Nugget Foal’s Meal with Apple Slices and one Triple Royale with Cheese, large fries, and a large Claw Cola. Would you like anything else, sir?”  
“A Haystack Supreme Meal, but Salad instead of the fries.” Bogo smirked to Danny. “Gotta watch my figure.” Danny chuckled and flashed him a thumbs up. “Got the annual PT Test coming up,” he added.  
“What would you like for your drink, sir?”  
“Cherry Berry Fizz, medium.”  
“Okay, sir. I have one Veggie Nugget Foal’s Meal with Apple Slices. One Triple Royale with Cheese, large fries, and a large Claw Cola. And one Haystack Supreme Meal with Salad instead of fries and a medium Cherry Berry Fizz. It should be up on the monitor.”  
Bogo turned his head to look at the long list of food on the television monitor sandwiched between the loudspeaker and microphone. “That’s correct.”  
“Yes sir. Your total is $22.88. Would you like to round up to the next dollar to support Big Macintosh’s Barn Charities?”  
“Of course,” the bull replied.  
“Your total is $23.00 even. Please pull up to the first window.”  
As the vehicle moved, Danny pointed at the park across the street.  
“Hey pop, look, they got tables. We could go sit there so we don’t mess up the car.”  
“Great thinking Danny! We’ll get over there once we get our lunch.”

After paying for their meal at the first window, and picking it up at the second, Bogo pulled the car forwards then across the street and into the fairly vacant parking lot. There were only a few other vehicles parked there, mostly belonging to joggers or parents of young children. As they pulled into a parking spot, a stallion and mare trotted past, the two barely noticing the police car. Ellie bounded towards the nearest table, skipping happily.   
“Not too far El!” Danny called. “You know the rules; in sight at all times!”  
Bogo smiled. That boy always seemed so responsible. But he had been the “man” of the house for a good few years before Bogo had come along.  
“Daddy! Over here!” Ellie’s voice broke him from his thoughts and he grabbed the massive bag of food, locking the car with his key fob. Ellie was already sat on one of the benches and staring at a large tree that shaded the table.   
“There’s marks on it. Looks like someone carved some letters and a heart.” she said, pointing to the weather worn wood. “CR+JG.”  
“You’re getting good with your alphabet Kiddo.” Danny said, handing her foals meal over. “Some lovey dovey couple musta done that ages ago.”  
Bogo put the large sack of food down on the table before taking a seat. “Long time ago,” he said as he pulled out the small army’s worth of food out of the bag, handing the rhino his Triple Royale with Cheese, then the large side of fried potatoes before digging around for his own meal. “Whoever carved that was in love enough to vandalize a tree.” The cop in him pointed out as he unwrapped his veggie burger.  
Danny chuckled. “Sounds like you’re gonna get the forensic team out here.”  
The buffalo shook his head. “Nah. No reason to do that. Iit looks like it was done… ten? Twenty years ago, and spending $50,000 on a $100 fine wouldn’t be worth it.” Bogo replied before sinking his teeth into his burger.  
The rhino beside him took a long sip of his large Claw Cola. “So, pops. You said that you knew something earlier.”  
“I did,” Bogo asked.  
“Yeah. When they were interviewing Rob Rowan,” Danny answered before picking up a fry.  
“Oh! Yes! Now I remember,” the buffalo’s mind seemed to come back into focus as his son jogged his memory.  
“What did you know, daddy,” Ellie chimed in right before dunking one of her nuggets into a side of ranch dressing.  
“I had a hunch about Mrs. Rowan,” Bogo said as he put his burger down for a second.  
“You mean that she’s married to that hockey player,” Danny half inquired before taking a large bite of his Triple Royale.  
“Yes,” the buffalo started to say, just before he looked over at Danny. “Wait… you knew?”  
His son shrugged his shoulders. “Only took me about a minute after you yelled out ‘I knew it!’”  
“Hmmm,” Bogo hummed. First Elise. Now Danny. Felicity’s children had minds like steel traps.   
“I knew too, daddy,” Ellie said with a big smile. “Mrs. Rowan showed us a picture of them after his first game in S-Ska-Skacie… Kanata.”  
The buffalo experienced a bit of deja-vous, like when Hopps and Wilde entered his office and already knew everything about a case file that he’d just opened on his desk not two minutes before they’d showed up. “Are you two sure you don’t want to be cops when you grow up?”  
“Nope!” Ellie chirped. “I’m gonna play for the Zootopia United All-stars!”  
“I might. I mean, Dad’s a cop, and so are you. But I might want to try some other stuff first. Like boxing or maybe being a bouncer. I dunno.”  
Bogo nodded. Danny’s dad and where he worked was an open wound, one that probably would never fully heal. It wasn’t as if McHorn and the boy hated each other, but they were never very close.“If you ever decide you want to be a cop, I can make sure you and your dad are in different precincts. Zootopia’s a big place, and I know all the station chiefs. There are a few that could really use someone like you, Danny.”  
“Maybe, Pop. But I still have a long way to go before I even think of joining the Academy. I wanna see how far I can go with my Boxing. Or maybe join Uncle Roscoe’s moving business for a bit.”  
“No pressure Kiddo.” Bogo reached over to ruffle him between the ears gently. “It’s your life. Now, come on and eat up you two. Your mum’s probably expecting us home soon.”


	3. To the Game

Later that afternoon, the family was all gathered in the living room, coats on and tickets tucked securely into Felicity’s purse. Will was fussing grumpily as Bogo held his paws so he could stand.  
“Don’t worry Will, we’re going soon. And you get to stay at Grandma’s for the night, won’t that be nice?”  
“No!” Will squeaked, stamping one paw. “No no no!”  
“Don’t mind him Martin.” Felicity sighed. “He’s just cranky because he missed his nap. I hope your mother won’t mind.”  
“She handled me at that age love. After a calf like me, Will won’t be much trouble.”  
“I hope so. Okay kids, downstairs and into the Van! We want to get to Mrs. Bogo’s before the traffic gets too heavy.”  
They had elected to take Felicity’s van for the night, mostly due to the lack of proper room for larger mammals in Bogo’s Bruinly. Thankfully, the drive to Savannah Central’s suburban neighborhoods was swift, getting them to the old Bogo house a full ten minutes ahead of schedule. Marge was already waiting at the gate.  
“Hello dears! Goodness, but you made good time.” she said kindly, her kinglish accent coming out more strongly in her exuberance. “Is that my charge for tonight? Ohhh, you are a big boy, aren’t you Willy?” Felicity quickly unstrapped Will from his carseat, despite the cub’s fussing, and laid him on her shoulder along with a large diaper bag.  
“Sorry Marge. He’s a bit cranky tonight. If he starts crying, just pace with him and sing something. He can have some applesauce later, but nothing past 8pm or he won’t sleep at all. I brought extra diapers and his Blankie to help him feel more at home. He’s also got his Bobo.” she gestured to the stuffed snail sticking out of the bag. “What else…”  
“Felicity dear, I assure you Willy will be quite well cared for.” Marge smiled, patting Felicity gently on the shoulder and taking Will into her arms. “Now, you lot run along before you’re late to the big game. Have fun!”  
“Thanks mum. We should be able to pick him up before midnight.” Bogo nodded to his mother. Marge simply scoffed and waved a hoof.  
“Nonsense. He can stay the night with me and you can pick him up in the morning. I even dug your old crib out of the attic Marty! Off you go now, spit spot!”  
Shaking her head and smiling, Felicity hopped back into the van.  
“Alright everyone, who’s ready for some hockey? Go Kings GO!”  
Marge grinned as her daughter in law to be drove off to the wild cheers of her children and fiancee.  
“Well, come along William. I’ve got the kettle on and PBS on the telly.”

Robin Rowan leaned back in a chair on the side of a small hill overlooking a pseudo panoramic view of downtown Zootopia. It was a bright side of living in the metropolis; not having to spend the previous night at the hotel and getting some time with his wife and paternal grandparents. That, and getting to see his father. It was an odd little ritual that he’d started doing before every home game since he’d gone to St. Robin’s Male’s School, though it had started slightly before that, back when he’d gotten to visit his grandparents every Christmas and on his birthday.  
His father, Chris “Red Streak” Rowan, had died when Robin was four, just a few hours after the two met for the first time. How many times had he seen his dad on TV before then when it was just him, his mom, his aunt and uncle and cousin, and his maternal grandparents? Dozens? Probably more? And he’d never even thought that the fastest fox on the ice and the second leading scorer for the Kings was his dad. Not until the funeral.  
Robin let out an elongated sigh. He’d come here over a month ago when he’d found out that he’d finally gotten drafted to the majors, and now, he was sitting here looking at a tombstone. “All everyone seems to be doing is comparing me to you, dad. And the Kings haven’t asked about buying out my contract yet. I doubt they will this season,” the cherry red fox said. He probably looked weird talking to a tombstone, but it would be more weird if the tombstone answered back. “Mom’s doing okay. She’s still married to Hubert. Grandpa and Gramma are fine too,” he mused aloud. “And Marian’s pregnant. Seems the Rowan virility doesn’t always work when crossing the species barrier, but we finally did it. You’re going to have a grandkit. Just don’t be surprised if it’s a red badger or a black and white fox.”  
Robin shook his head. He should feel silly sitting out here, but deep down, he didn’t. “They’re doing a whole ceremony for you tonight. You and the rest of the 1990-1991 Zootopia Kings. Wayne Gretko’s gonna be there. They want mom and me out on the ice. Grandpa Rick and I are kinda scared they’re going to try to retire your number before I get a chance to wear it, but doesn’t seem likely.”  
The large tod let out an equally deep sigh. “I’ll make sure Gramma Ruby takes pictures. Wish I could stay longer, but I’ve got a game in three hours,” he said before slowly standing up and turning about to fold up his camping chair. Robin reached a hand out to rest his fingers and palm the tombstone. “Wish you were here dad.”

Marian smiled at herself in the mirror, her paws smoothing out the maroon and maize colored jersey as her belly was starting to show slightly. Robin had made sure his wife had gotten his new jersey. She had, of course, insisted upon it. She’d made sure he had ordered a replica of his official jersey, just like she had done with every jersey he’d worn when he’d first been drafted by the Skaciwani Pirates. The curvy badger had even worn his father’s jersey, as her fox had, when they’d gone to watch the Kings play.  
“I’ll probably have to wear his soon enough,” the curvy badger sow giggled to herself, gently caressing the fox-badger kit growing within her, gaze looking down to the small bump their child created within her womb. “And you’re getting one too.” Marian spoke to the unborn kit within her.  
The badger let out a small sniffle as a tear started to slowly forming at the edge of her eyes. “You have no idea how long your sire and I have been waiting for you.”  
Marian let out a quick blink before reaching out to grab hold of a tissue, raising it up to her face to dab at her cheek, making sure that her eyeliner wasn’t running while slowly trying to regain herself.  
“I’ll need to review the policy for maternity leave,” she said aloud before reaching down to check her phone, making sure the limousine Robin had ordered was on its way.

Richard Rowan was grinning like a March Hare as he popped in another cheese square into his mouth. The blue business slack and Zootopia King’s gold and purple away jersey wearing 75 year old was somehow still as spry as the day he’d met and married his wife, Ruby, who was sitting beside him in the limousine.  
“I have to say, this is the best limo ride I’ve ever taken,” the silvering red fox said before taking a quick sip of red wine while talking to no-one in particular. “Complementary cheese and wine! Fancier than Big’s ones.”  
Richard reached a hand down to grab another small square of cheese only to pop it into his mouth. “Richard,” his wife of over 50 years growled as she looked at him. “Stop eating the cheese!”  
“But it’s so good! Where did they find this cheddar?” The old tod whined before reaching out to grab another piece, but his wrist was intercepted by a deep red colored paw.  
“Josephine. Hubert. Would you like some cheese?”  
A red-yellow vixen in jeans and gold and purple jersey shook her head gently. “Ahm all right, Ruby,” she said, but the hulking gray furred, khaki slacks and maroon and maize jersey wearing wolf beside her reached one gigantic paw out to get a handful of cheese.  
“You shore is sweet, Mizzuz Row’n. I do luvz me sum cheeze,” Hubert managed to respond just before popping block after block of yellow-orange gold into his maw.  
The two vixens gently shook their heads at their husbands who were quickly turning taking the cheeses from the platter into a competition. Luckily, or unluckily, the contest was well over before it began. Richard had vastly underestimated the size of the wolf’s hands, his scooping mits taking almost half the pile of squared blocks of fermented milk in two swipes.  
The old fox let out a snort before reaching both arms out to drag the remaining half of the platter over into his lap, looking incredibly silly the entire time.  
Ruby slowly shook her head, eyes rolling about in their sockets. As much as she loved her husband, he could act like a kit sometimes. Softly sighing, her ran her paws over the purple and gold jersey down to her own purple skirt, making sure she could get all the wrinkles out.  
Josephine let out a small giggle at her son’s grandsire as she looked over at her wolf. If Ruby and Richard had stayed married for five decades, then she was sure that she and Hubert had a very good chance.

Marian smiled as she wandered down the steps towards the long, black painted, custom built car. The driver didn’t even turn off the vehicle, just placed it into park before opening his door and sliding around to the rear passenger door. “Ma’am,” the grey-black furred, business suited panther said as he held it open for the pregnant badger.  
The sow smiled as she placed one hand on her belly. “Thank you,” she replied as she slowly slipped into the limousine, sitting beside Ruby and Richard. Marian had barely sat down when the driver closed the door behind her before sliding back around to take his seat and start the drive to the stadium.

“You’re absolutely glowing, Marian,” Ruby said with a smile, the eldest vixen in the room scooting over a bit more to give the already wide, and now pregnant, badger a little more room.  
“Thank you, Ruby,” the sow replied with a warm smile, her hand resting over her belly and half covering large, letterman jacket style S with a bust of a prairie dog dead center in the symbol. “Been looking forward to this for a long while.”  
“I knew Robin could do it. We Rowans are known for our virility,” Richard proclaimed to the occupants of the limo in a voice of pride. With his eyes closed, he didn’t notice the cringing facepalm of his wife, nor the blushing giggle of Josephine, his would have been vixen-in-law. “And we’ve now broken the species barrier!”  
Marian let out a small snicker, trying to no roll her eyes at her grandsire-in-law. Unlike Josephine, the badger had learned how to deal with the wiley old tod, much like his wife; let him have his little bouts of glory and pride, but always keep him in line. “I’m sure it was a matter of time, Richard,” the sow responded, giving her slightly swollen belly another rub. “Robin is quite elated about finally having a kit.”  
“So am I! It’ll be nice to have a great grandtod.” The old fox continued.  
“It could be a vixen,” his wife reminded.  
“Cud even b’twins,” Josephine added. “When I was pregn’nt with Kody, I thought it’d be twins.”  
Marian was about to say something when Richard decided to reply with, “Twin tods.”  
The badger giggled to herself before leaning back against the seat. “We will all find out in seven months. Robin and I still haven’t decided on a name.”  
“Why not Richard?” The old fox half asked, “It’s a good Kinglish name! They did have three Kings named Richard.”  
Ruby glanced at her husband. “It’s also YOUR name.”  
“What’s wrong with that?” Richard’s head tilted in slight confusion. “It’s a good name!”  
His wife let out another heavy sigh. “It’s a wonderful name, but I’m sure Robin and Marian have been trying to come up with one.”  
“It ain’t easy,” Josephine chimed in.  
“I’ve always wondered why you picked Kody,” the eldest vixen in the vehicle inquired.  
“Jist always liked it is all,” the younger vixen said just before her face started to flush slightly, “course, it was also the name of a cute bunny buck I knew in High School, Kody Springer.”  
Hubert let out a slightly jealous huff, while Marian and Ruby let out their own small chuckles. Josephine let out a small giggle as she patted her husband’s khaki panted thigh. “Don’t be jealous, sugar wolf. That was a long time ago.”  
The large lupine in a black and silver Skaciwani Pirates nodded his head as he put an arm around his wife. “Ah ain’t jealous.”  
“Ya shudn’t be, sugar wolf. Kody Springer… well… his sister, Bonnie, told me that he,” Jospehine paused as she giggled to herself, “how did she phrase it… ‘doesn’t like peaches but loves munching on carrots.’”  
The wolf’s head tilted in confusion, even as everyone else around him understood the phrasing. “Huh?”  
“He’s gay,” the yellow-red vixen giggled. Word play was never Hubert’s strong suit.  
“Oh! Ya means like Uncle Bill,” the lupine’s brain finally understood what she meant. “He likes them red rockets more than spades.”  
There was a small chuckle that rolled around the limo, though his wife seemed to giggle more than any of the others, mostly because she knew more about her High School crush than she let on, but she decided to not get into how much Bonnie had told her.  
“Is that a Wolfsberg phrase,” Marian asked, joining the conversation again. “I have never heard it before now.”  
Hubert shrugged his large, broad shoulders. “I dunno. Jist how mama always dee-scribed Uncle Bill, course she loved’m t’death cause he’s her brudder’n all. And how she’d talk bout my two brudders b’fore both of’m gots married. Course theys also got dee-vorced too, but mama said they seem t’nacurly ree-pell gals unless theys whatever blue bloods iz.”  
The badger nodded her head. “I see,” the sow responded, “And Hubert, a blue blood is a member of the nobility.”  
The wolf tilted his head. “Huh?”  
“The super rich,” Richard chimed in. “The Lobos, The Woolshingtons, the Shrubs, the Kenneallies, the Lionhearts, the Todds, and the McDucks.The ones who won’t even sniff at you unless you have a large bank account and a noble title from the old world.”  
Marian chuckled. “In Kingland, you and I would be considered ‘blue bloods’, Richard,” she said before looking over at Hubert and Josephine, “In fact, I do believe your families would also be considered blue bloods as well. The Hemmings and the Greys were quite influential noble families.”  
“Mama did say we was an old famly,” Hubert mentioned as he looked down at his wife, Josephine.  
“Daddy said the same thing,” the vixen said as she leaned on her wolf.  
Their daughter-in-law was just about to continue the line of conversation when the limousine came to a halt. Everyone heard the driver’s door open, watching him slip around through dark tinted windows to open the passenger door.  
“Sir. Madam,” the black suited feline spoke as he looked from the large, metal and glass and concrete building down to the occupants.  
“It seems we have arrived,” the badger said as she slowly slid out of her seat. The panther reached a hand out, offering it to Marian to help her out of the vehicle, doing the same for Ruby and Josephine.  
The odd looking family regrouped just a yard away from the limousine as the driver closed the door. “Enjoy the game,” the feline smiled. “Just call the company when you’re ready to be picked up.”  
The group nodded their heads before slowly turning around and heading into the massive stadium known as the Stable’s Center.

Crowds had already begun to gather outside the main entrance two hours before the game started. It was a mass of mammals of all shapes and sizes wearing a plethora of different colors, though maroon, maize, purple, and gold dominated the roaring horde as Bogo pulled the van passed the stadium. “Hmmm,” the old bull mumbled to himself as he slowly followed the road around the gigantic structure of metal and glass, “Maybe we should have taken a Zoober. If there’s this many people...”  
“We could park the van at the police station, father,” Elise pointed out. “According to ZoogleMaps it is only a 5 minute walk from the station.”  
“And it’s free,” Felicity added.  
Martin’s bride-to-be had a good point. Parking was free at the station, and it wasn’t like he’d never spotted Fangmeyer and Anderson’s cars parked there when they weren’t in the building or on assignment. “You won’t mind the walk?”  
“I dunno about you, pops, but I could use the stretch,” Danny mentioned. Even though it was a van, the rhino always found himself in a bit of a tight squeeze, especially when everyone was piled into the vehicle.  
“As would I, father,” Elise grunted. It wasn’t easy for her either, then again, the van wasn’t exactly comfortable for the bull buffalo. Whoever designed the van didn’t have large mammals in mind, but it had been the biggest Feli could afford and still drive unmodified.  
"Alright, to the station then." Bogo smiled, turning into the proper lane.  
"Everyone stick close to Elise. She's our rallying point. Danny, can you keep Ellie on your shoulders?" Asked Felicity. Danny shot her a thumbs up.  
"Got it covered momma! El, you know the drill. We get out, you hop up.”  
“Right!”  
“They sound practiced.” Bogo chortled. Felicity nodded proudly.  
“We didn’t get many trips, but when we did, we always planned to stick together.”  
They parked in Bogo's 24-hour reserved space, letting Danny and Elise stretch cramped muscles as they got out. Ellie took her usual place on her older brother's shoulders with a grin, looking towards the crowds.  
"That's an awful lot of mammals." She said worriedly. "We're not gonna miss the game are we?"  
"Don't you worry peanut, we'll get in." Danny gave his sister a playful jostle. "The game's not for two more hours, and we have special tickets. Hey! It's Benny!"  
Clawhauser had just pulled up in his own car, waving enthusiastically. His husband seemed to be doing the driving tonight, and both of them were wearing Kings jerseys. Clawhauser was definitely the more decked out of the two; with a Kings cap perched on his head and little pennants stuck in the back, a large foam paw with a faded "Go Kings go!" printed on it and purple and gold plastic beads around his thick neck.  
"Hey Chief! Wow, whole family tonight huh? Are you guys excited? I'm so excited. This game is gonna be amazing! I mean, look at this crowd!"  
Dan eased himself out of the driver’s seat, a chuckling smile across his lips as he moved in beside his husband. The bulky, muscular tiger set one hand on the shorter cheetah’s thick shoulder. “You’re always excited, Benny,” he purred while giving the spotted cat’s shoulder a gentle knead.  
Bogo let out a small chuckle. The cheetah was fairly excitable.  
“Of course I’m excited! It’s not every day we go to the Kings’ game,” the portly feline responded with his usual gleeful smile. “So Chief! Where are you guys gonna sit? Andersen and Fangmeyer got us tickets, so we’re sitting together, but our row sold out on the first day.”  
Martin opened his mouth to say something, but Danny was the one who answered. “The Chief got us a Suite!”  
“OH. MY. GOSH! DID YOU GET THE CATERED ONE!” Benjamin half squealed as his jaw went slack and eyes went wide.  
Dan chuckled. Of course his husband would ask if it was the catered one.  
The rhino beamed with pride. “Yup!”  
The heavy set cheetah let out another squeal as he bounced on his toes, easily lifting that massive arm on his shoulder up with every upward motion. “I. AM. SOOOOOOO jealous right now! I’ve always wanted to sit in a suite!”  
Bogo and Dan snickered. It wasn’t the only thing the portly cat wanted to do in the suite and both of them knew it, though their thoughts on what that was were slightly different.  
“Maybe next year,” the bulky tiger said, “after we see what’s left over from the second honeymoon.”  
“Second honeymoon?” Elise inquired, entering the conversation. “Why a second honeymoon?”  
“Do you wanna tell them or should I,” Benjamin asked as he looked up at his husband, the glee still present in his face.  
“Go ahead.”  
The cheetah squeed again. “Dan and I… are renewing our vows! And then! We’re going on a cruise!”  
"Awwwww! That's so sweet!" Felicity couldn't help but squeal. Perhaps it was her own pre-wedding jitters, but she and Bogo had never brought up the honeymoon topic yet.  
“I know! I can’t wait! We’re going to all the best spots in the Canibean,” Benjamin said before lifting his hand up and counting on his fingers. “Cancoon, Grand Kangan, Lionston, Port-au-Pongo, Santo DeSoto, Puerto Rita.”  
The chubby cat paused as he giggled, “The Celibate Islands.”  
Dan shook his head as his giggling husband continued. “And it finishes in Saint Martin.”  
Bogo nodded his head. “Sounds like it’s going to be quite the trip.”  
“It is,” Dan replied. “Almost a month at sea.”  
“How are you two getting back from Saint Martin’s?” Felicity asked curiously.  
“We’re taking the flight out to Myhami,” the tiger said.  
“And then spending two days there before we fly back to Zootopia.” Clawhauser finished, a big smile on his face as he purred.  
The cape buffalo nodded his head. “When are you going on your second honeymoon?”  
The tiger started to answer, but his glee filled husband couldn’t wait. “Just before Thanksgiving.”  
Bogo chuckled. Of course they’d go on a cruise that would cover Thanksgiving and Christmas.  
Dan smirked. “We were going to do the cruise first and then renew our vows up in Zoo York City during the New Year’s Celebration.”  
“But it’s sooooo cliche now,” the cheetah pouted. “Everyone renews their vows there.”  
“So we’ll be spending New Years at home,” the tall striped feline purred, giving his husband’s shoulder a warm knead that made the portly feline blush.  
“You’re just gonna stay home and do nothing? No party,” Danny inquired.  
Clawhauser giggled. “Oh, we’re going to have a party. Can’t have New Years Eve without a party.”  
“Cool! I hear you throw the best parties.” The rhino beamed.  
“I’m sure you’d have a fun time,” the chubby cheetah started to say before Bogo let small grunt, “When you’re older.”  
There was a slight pause before the buffalo added, “Much older. I’d say when you’re 30.”  
Danny cocked an eyebrow, not entirely sure why he was saying that, but Felicity stepped in.  
“Or 18, so long as your father or I are present. So no wild parties.”  
Benjamin chuckled. “You don’t have to worry, Felicity. Our parties don’t get wild. I mean. Unless Nick shows up, then it is a Wilde party.”  
A groan erupted from everyone except Ellie, who let out a happy giggle. “You’re funny Uncle Benny!” The small doe cheered as she lightly bounced on Danny’s shoulders.  
“Thanks, Ellie,” the chubby cheetah said with a smile.  
Clawhauser’s husband reached into his pocket to pull out his phone. “We should probably start heading to the game.”  
“Why don’t we all go together,” Benjamin proposed to the group. “You guys can split off once we all get through the door.”  
“It would make getting through the crowd much easier,” Felicity pointed out.  
“Plus Benny’s pretty easy to spot,” Danny added, not realizing the terrible pun he’d made as he continued, “I mean, how many cheetahs are we going to see dressed up like that?”  
Bogo chuckled. The rhino had a good point. “I don’t see why we can’t.”  
Clawhauser put a hand around his husband’s middle. “Shall we?”


	4. Old friends

Even though they were all grouped up, it still took a bit to get up to and then through the front door. The fact that there were ten sets of double doors, it still seemed to take about half an hour. Not to mention the security slowdown that happened right before entering didn’t help. The upside to all this was how enthusiastic the throng of mammals were to see the game. The overwhelming majority of fans were singing the official unofficial theme song of the Zootopia Kings; Zootopia V.s The World. It helped that the speakers outside were blaring the tune too.

From the Canals to Banyon Street  
Throw your paws up and bounce with me  
Ask around and they know Zoo City  
Ask what’s good and we say Zoo City  
Everybody chanting 'Go Kings Go!'  
Four lines deep everywhere we roll  
Ask around and they know Zoo City  
Ask what’s good and we say Zoo City

Danny was already bopping his head to the beat, singing along softly. Bogo had picked Felicity up and planted her on one broad shoulders to keep her from being squashed in the crowds, smiling as he noticed mother and son both nodding in time.  
"Momma, look! There's Mr. Lionheart!" Said Danny excitedly, pointing to the stairs leading to the private suites. "And he's with the owner of the Kings!"  
Felicity looked round, spotting the former mayor walking with another lion with a reddish mane along with two or three fairly muscular bodyguards in business suits. The two seemed to be discussing something, with the King’s owner slowly shaking his head from side to side before they disappeared behind the solid oak doors with a gold sign that said, “V.I.P. Suite.”  
“I wonder what they were talking about,” Danny openly inquired as they kept moving with the crowd towards a group of mammals who were scanning tickets.  
Clawhauser and his husband smiled as they turned their heads over their shoulders. “I think this is where we split up,” Dan said, the tiger giving the mixed species family a small smile.  
“I’ll tell Andersen and Fangmeyer you guys said hi,” the chubby cheetah added with his own happy smile before turning back around and taking one step forwards.  
A fennec in a blue-gray uniform took their tickets and ran them through the scanner. “Thank you,” she replied before pointing, “Down that hall, 4 entrances down on the left. Enjoy the game.”  
Dan and Benjamin had barely taken a step before the diminutive vixen turned back around to look up at the group. “Tickets, please.” She asked, her sand colored hand reaching out.  
Bogo nodded his head and looked down at Felicity. The vixen smiled as she reached into her purse to pull out the five tickets she’d stuffed in there, only to hand them towards the other fox.  
The fennec smiled as she scanned each one quickly before handing them back. “You see that door?” she said, pointing at the same one they’d seen former Mayor Lionheart and the King’s owner walk into about five minutes earlier.  
Everyone turned their heads to stare right at the heavy oak doors, all of them slightly amazed.  
“You’ll need to head through those,” the petite vixen added. “Fastest way is to just walk through the turnstile and then make a hard right. They’ll check your tickets again once you get through the door, but you’ll be fine. Enjoy the game.”  
The fennec smiled up at the mixed species group of mammals, all of whom were in some level of shock at the news. When they didn’t move immediately, the small fox let out a small cough.  
Bogo was the first to come out of the daze as he looked down at the fennec who seemed to be losing her air of congeniality as the group of five didn’t seem to be moving at all.  
“You heard her,” the cape buffalo said with a smile, giving the short fox a smile nod before manually moving his family through the turnstile and into the main lobby. Ellie turned around as they passed, waving to the vixen.  
“Thank you nice fennec lady!” she called, waving. The fennec smiled a little and gave a small wave in return before turning back to her job.  
“This is it, this is it, this is it!” Danny started muttering as they approached the doors. Elise patted her brother gently on the back.  
“Easy Danny. Deep breaths.” she chuckled.  
With a push, the doors parted, leading to a spacious reception area with laminate wood walls with pictures of former Kings teams in golden frames, warm lighting, and a carpeted floor. An orange furred red panda was sitting behind what looked like a reception desk just in front of two elevators set between two doors leading to the back up stairwells. “Welcome to the VIP Suites,” she said with a warm smile on her face as she looked up at the large group. “May I see your tickets?”  
Everyone shared a few glances with one another. The area outside looked spartan compared to the reception area; brick and concrete walls with tile floors made specifically for fans spilling their beers and hotdogs on the floor while trying to find their seats.  
Slowly, Felicity made her way up to the desk, her hand still holding onto their tickets. The vixen gently handed them to the blue suited woman on the other side.  
The panda’s eyes closed in a smile as she took them, gently running each bar code under a scanner on her desk before handing them back. “Thank you, ma’am. You’re in Suite A10. Just take the elevator to Floor A, and it’s just down the hall,” she said while handing the tickets back to Felicity. “I have to say, you got some really good seats. The owner usually never misses a game, but there’s a waiting list as long as my tail for that one if he ever decides to sell.”  
“You can thank my bull for that. He got them for us.” Felicity giggled. Bogo snorted gently and ruffled her ears.  
“Being Chief has perks.” he said, just a little smugly.  
“Oh? You’re the Chief of Police? I guess I didn’t recognize you out of your uniform,” The panda replied, attempting to hide her nervous embarrassment. “Please! Enjoy the game!”  
“Thanks miss. And don’t worry about it; happens all the time. Come on kids.” He and Felicity herded them all onto the elevator and to their floor. Danny was the first one out of the elevator, walking quickly down the three star hotel looking hall to their suite.  
“Found it Momma! A10, like the panda said!” He called, throwing the doors open. “Wooooah! Momma, Pops! You gotta see this! We can see the whole rink!”  
Elise and his parents followed at a more sedate pace, Felicity looking around appreciatively.  
“No wonder these suites cost so much.” she mused aloud. “I bet you the wood panelling in here costs more than all my mixers and ovens combined!”  
Bogo slowly nodded his head. The room was just as big as the sales person had said it would be. The suite could easily be mistaken for a hotel room, and not just any hotel room, but one built for a queen sized bed. The floor was a mix of light colored hardwood laminate with sandy-gold carpeting in the center, set under a modern looking table with a white top. The walls were painted in a deep shade of purple, which continued onto the set of cabinetry that ran along the left side starting just after at the full, brushed metal refrigerator.  
The entire left side cabinet counter top was arrayed with various different food items, ranging from jars of candies to hot pots to salad bowl and dressings all the way to cheese plates and popcorn and peanuts. But in the middle of it all was a kitchen sink that looked right out of someone’s house.  
The right side of the room didn’t have any food items, but held onto three framed pictures of famous moments from the Kings franchise, along with two spinning chairs set between a short table, obviously meant for coffee or any other drinks.  
The room ended fairly abruptly at a bar style countertop set with four seats, but the suit area continued down to three rows of four bucket style seats that gave opened up to a magnificent view of nearly the entire stadium.  
“Can you actually see the players?” Bogo asked as he started to make his way towards the bar like counter top, watching as a few yellow colored ants skated around on one end of the rink while another group of purple colored ants skated around on the other half.  
Danny chuckled. “I think that’s why they have the jumbotron,” he said, just before they heard the sound of a TV turning on. “And this huge flatscreen!”  
Ellie, who up until that point had been mesmerized by all the food laid out on the counter, perked her ears up at the mention of a flatscreen TV, the little doe wondering if they had cartoons only to remember that they were there to watch the game.  
The TV had barely turned on when the screen showed two announcers in Kings jerseys sitting around and talking about the game.  
“Looks like they have their own TV network,” Bogo said as he turned to look at the big screen.  
“I think it’s just the same stuff they throw up on the jumbotron, pops.” Danny replied before turning his attention back to the family. Felicity had wandered over to sample some of the cheeses and Elise was nibbling a pretzel. Ellie was pressed against the safety glass in front of the last row of seats, looking at the crowds.  
“There’s so many! I never knew so many animals liked Hockey.” she gasped. “There's gotta be a gazillion mammals here!”  
“Probably closer to 30 thousand, peanut.” Danny chuckled as he walked down the three rows to stand next to the gazelle. “And yeah, there’s tons of fans of Hockey. Barry says it’s like, the national sport of Grrussia and Kanata.”  
“Zoogle says that the stadium can hold up to 28,000 spectators,” Elise said as she made her way towards her siblings, “And yes. It is the national sport of my homeland. Some of the best players have been Grrussians. We did win almost every Gold Medal in Hockey at the Animalympics until the committee allowed professional players to enter the games.”  
Danny and Ellie nodded their heads as they turned to look at their sister. “Barry told me that it’s huge in Tundratown. I think he played it as a cub. They kinda treat it like soccer and baseball in all the other districts.”  
“What do you mean?” the doe asked as she looked up at her older brother.  
“He means that it is one of the first sports cubs learn to play,” the bruin answered just before taking a pretzel off the plate in her hand and putting it on her long tongue only to pull it back into her muzzle with a crunch.  
“Did you play too? I mean...before?” Ellie asked. Elise never spoke much about her life before being adopted. She preferred to pretend her biological parents didn’t exist, much like Danny and his biological mother.  
“I did not.” Elise replied, crossing over to the fridge to find a drink. “I was not permitted to play sports. I was put into Ballet and painting classes. It was...unbecoming of a Korovna girl to play sports.” Danny gaped at his sister. He hadn’t heard her use her original surname in years. Elise, however, seemed cool as a cucumber.  
“But Ballet and painting sound fun too!” Ellie noted, cocking her head to one side. Elise gave her a gentle smile.  
“They are. When you enjoy them and choose it. But nevermind that now. Come Ellie, see the sweetgrass braids they have given us!” she guided the fawn to the snack table and a tray of short lengths of braided grass with pots of honey for dipping them in.  
Danny slowly followed his sisters back into the main room portion of the suit, his head turning to focus on the flatscreen TV and the two announcers. “You guys mind if I turn up the volume?”  
Bogo just shrugged his shoulders. It was the pre-game, which meant there wasn’t much going on for at least another hour. “I don’t see why not.”  
The rhino smiled as he reached down to grab the controller sitting on the table and depressing the volume button so they could listen into the internal TV broadcast.

“And of course, Sean, while we are honoring Zootopia’s Finest, we are also honoring one of the Kings’ best players; Chris “Red Streak” Rowan.” A scrawny looking arctic fox wearing a golden yellow King’s jersey said to his cohort, just before the scene changed to a close up of some of the players skating around the ice, all of them wearing their royal purple home jerseys, but each and every one, including the goalie, had the name “Rowan” in white and gold stenciled lettering above the number 75.  
“Now, if you haven’t signed up yet,” the announcer continued in voice over, “we will be raffling the jerseys they’re wearing with the proceeds going to the Maimed Mammal Project, which offers financial, emotional, and physical assistance to members of the police, fire department, and emergency service personnel injured in the line of duty. Please see the nearest Kings’s customer service representative.”  
The picture on tv screen went back to the two commentators. “I don’t know about you, but I know I’d love to have one of those jerseys, Mike.”  
“You and me both. I still have mine from when I was a colt,” his co-host, an equally thin looking horse responded.  
“For those of you just coming in, the Zootopia Kings will be officially retiring Chris Rowan’s number 75 tonight during the second intermission,” Sean said into the camera, adjusting himself in his seat as he did so.  
“Rowan was the last player to wear 75, when he played for the Kings between 1988 and 1991, and reproductions of his jersey are still some of the top selling ones in the Kings’s store next to Wayne Gretko.”  
“I talked to the person who runs the Kings’s Official Store. They sell more Wayne Gretko and Chris Rowan jerseys than anyone else, and that includes the current roster of Polarinski and Kodiakov.”  
“Wow. Well, everyone watching should go buy one of the reproductions now because they won’t be available anymore after tonight.” Mike said before looking back at Sean.  
“Not unless the Kings managed to steal his son from the Prairie Dogs,” Sean pointed out.  
“Good point,” Mike replied. “But rather than end on a sad note, let’s take a look at a few highlights from those seasons.”  
With that, the camera faded to a premade highlight reel that started with the 1988 season.

Danny watched, somewhat mesmerized as he saw a purple and gold dressed fox darting across the ice and scoring a game winning goal as the announcer called him a “Red Streak.”  
Bogo chuckled as he walked over to his son, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You know, for someone that was excited to have a catered suite, you’ve barely touched any of the catering.”  
“Sorry Pops. got distracted.” Danny murmured, looking at the screen and watching the fox race down the ice with the puck before passing it to a teammate. Bogo chuckled and gave Danny’s shoulder a firm pat. “I’ll make you a plate.”  
“I’ve never seen anyone move so fast before,” the rhino replied as he walked beside the cape buffalo.  
“Oh, he was a fast one all right. I met the Red Streak once,” Bogo mused.  
“Wait? Really? When?” Danny asked, head tilted, eyes opening in amazement. He’d never been that big into hockey, nor did he know all that much about the players, but it was still interesting that the Chief had met a professional hockey player.  
“Oh, this was a long time ago, back when I’d just gotten out of the Academy. I was on patrol outside of Zootopia University when I pulled him over for speeding. Come to think of it, he was the first ticket I ever wrote,” Bogo said with a small chuckle. “This was before he became famous though.”  
Danny nodded his head in understanding as the two headed towards the counter full of snacks, walking past Elise and Ellie who were headed for a seat with plates full of sweetgrass and honey.  
The two large mammals had barely finished making their plates when they both heard a squeal of glee coming from where Elise and Ellie were sitting. Everyone, including Felicity, who’d been preparing her own plate turned to look at the doe, who was bouncing in her bucket seat and pointing towards the suite beside theirs.  
Eyes followed the excited gazelle’s finger to another, much older male gazelle wearing an old King’s jersey and a flagon of beer that was staring back at Ellie.  
“Chaif Bogo? Ah dinn’t know ya’d be eer t’noit,” a thickly accented voice said before taking a long swig from the flagon only to turn his head around and look over his shoulder. “Hey! Boyos! C’mere! Ya gotsta see who’re our naybars t’noit!”  
Several heads, both horned and not, leaned over, making Ellie squeal again.  
“Mommy, Mommy! That’s Hornz Mackenzie! And Jacob Trotwood! And Derek LeBeck!” she babbled, bouncing on her toes. “They’re on The Zootopia All-Stars! They’re the best players in the league!”  
“Waill new, seem’s ya brought a soccar fan with ya! Who’s this than?”  
“My soon to be Daughter, Ellie.” Bogo said, stepping forward to pat Ellie’s head. “She’s actually one of your biggest fans Hornz. Ellie, come on and say hi.”  
But Ellie, her excitement now given way to nerves, hid behind Bogo, clinging to his jeans and peeking out with one eye. Hornz gave a patient smile and lifted his glass.  
“Pleazur t’meet ya Ellie. Always greight ta meet a fan. Yer father’s a gud bull. He takin’ gud cair a yew an yer mum?”  
Ellie nodded shyly.  
“Hei, whaddya say to an autograph? C’m on over ere an Ah’ll give ya one. Ya know, yer dah got me outta tight spot jist b’fore ee b’came chaif. It’s the least Ah c’n do fer ya.”  
Looking to her mother for permission, Ellie was pleased to get a smiling nod, even as Felicity stood to walk her over.  
“It’s very nice to meet you Mr. Mackenzie.” she said kindly. “Ellie’s been a fan of yours since she was three. Seeing you actually encouraged her to go into soccer herself. She’s quite the little player.”  
“Is she now?” Mackenzie beamed, pulling out a photo of himself from his emergency stash. “What team do ya play fer Ellie?”  
“T-the Pixies.” Squeaked the fawn. “I’m the Center Forward.” Hornz gave an exaggerated gasp of delight.  
“Me too! We’re loik twins! Ah’ll ave t’ watch owt fer ya in a few yeers, won’t I?”  
Felicity smiled. Sure, the gazelle was playing it up a bit for the fawn, but Ellie was eating it up. She watched as Mackenzie signed the picture in gold marker and handed it over, Ellie clutching it like it was the most precious thing on earth -which, to a four year old soccer fan, it probably was-.  
Hornz gave the doe a warm smile as he looked down at her, just before his eyes caught movement in the suite on the other side of the one Ellie was standing in. “Wail there new. If it iddn’t Lady Rowan.”  
Everyone turned their heads to look at the badger who had just walked out into the small stack of stands.  
"Mrs. Rowan!" Ellie squeaked, bounding over to the other end of the suite. "Hi Mrs. Rowan! You're here too?"  
The older badger giggled softly, her hand resting on her belly out of instinct as she smiled at Ellie, Bogo, Felicity, Elise, and Danny. “Of course, dearie. I would not miss this game for the world,” she replied before turning her gaze over to Hornz. “All ways the head turner, I see, Hornz.”  
The gazelle let out his own boisterous laugh. “Ah’m ne’er gonna pass oop meetin’ a fan, Marian. Gud t’see ya ‘gain!”  
Ellie’s eyes went wide. “YOU KNOW HORNZ MCKeNZIE?!”  
The sow badger giggled softly. “In passing, Ellie. We’ve been suite neighbours for quite some time now.”  
“Foive? Sax seesons new?”  
“At least,” she replied, musing slightly as she tried to remember.  
“Lukin’ forwerd ta seein’ Rob’n t’noight, aren’t we boyos?” Hornz said as he looked over his shoulder at the team mates behind him, each one holding various alcoholic beverages in steins and bottles and glasses. The duo let out their own boisterous cheer as they held their various containers high in the air.  
“Not errydey, ya sees your suite neighbour turn pro, marm,” Jacob Trotwood said, holding up his glass towards Marian.  
“Mouais,” Derek LeBeck added, “It is… très improbable?“  
“Oui,” the badger replied, “c’est très improbable, mais c’est arrivé.”  
LeBeck smiled. It was fairly unusual to hear someone reply to him in his native tongue. He was just about to ask something else, but as he opened his mouth to speak, a Kings jersey and blue business slacks clad fox scampered out holding what looked like a giant plate of cheese in his arms only to plop down in a chair before shoving slices and cubes of yellow gold into his snapping jaws.  
“RICHARD!” A woman’s voice cried out before a deep red furred vixen scampered behind Marian to grab the orange coated tod by his ear. “I swear, you act like a kit sometimes,” she grumbled aloud as she yanked him out of the bucket seat only to drag him back towards the inner part of the suite.

Everyone was slightly amazed and confused except Marian and Hornz who were chuckling up a small hurricane. Ellie couldn’t help herself from letting out her own giggle just to join in, even as Elise and Bogo both cocked an eyebrow in nearly the exact same manner. Felicity was the only one that was staring with a contemplative look, as if trying to call up a memory or several.  
Hornz snickered as he slapped the metal guide rail. “Ne’er a dull mom’nt wit yer in-laws, eh, Lady Marian?”  
The badger just shook her head. “Aye. Richard’s harmless until you put cheese out.”  
The gazelle let out a snort as he shook his head. “N’truer wards were e’re spoke,” Hornz replied with his own smirking grin. “Yew an yer tod oop fer a point aft’r th’match?”  
“I am certain Robin will be, but I am going to have to pass on a pint,” she responded with a gentle rub to her belly.  
“Ahhhh,” Honz said with a nod of understanding before looking over to Bogo, Felicity, and their family. “Oop ferr joinin’ oos, Chaif?”  
The cape buffalo looked from Felicity to Danny to Elise then to Ellie. Felicity was still deep in thought, though he could tell she wasn’t 100% certain about them going out after the game, especially with Will at his mother’s. Danny was cracking a small smile. He couldn’t drink yet, but how many bulls his age got to say they were able to not only meet Hornz McKinzie but also spend time with him and a few of the All-Stars crew? Elise had her usual calm expression that was sometimes completely unreadable. She was the oldest and most mature of her siblings, which meant she could keep everyone in line, especially everyone around them.  
And then there was Ellie. Her eyes looked like two Thanksgiving plates as she hugged the autographed picture tightly to her chest; pupils and irises twinkling in hopeful glee like she was in one of those Japandamations -or whatever the cubs were calling them now- he’d seen on TV.  
Bogo was just about to speak when his wife blurted out, “PROM!”


	5. Old friends 2

Felicity knew she’d seen that old couple before, but she just couldn’t place them. Then the mention of grandparents and the name Robin. Names and faces kept rolling around in her mind as she thought and thought and thought some more. And then, all the pieces floating around in her head suddenly fell into place all at once. A memory flooding back into her mind as if it had happened the day before yesterday, making her yell out, “PROM!” And that was when she saw everyone staring at her, even Marian and Hornz.

“Mother, my senior prom is not for another 8 months,” Elise answered what she could only assume was some sort of inquiring statement, even as she looked directly at her mother. It took her a moment before the bruin was able to fully read the expression of surprise on the vixen’s face.  
Her fiance, on the other hand, was looking right at her, eyebrow raised in curious concern. “Feli? Are you feeling well?”  
Felicity waved a hand, trying to signal that she was fine before whipping around to look at Marian, still somewhat bewildered at what she’d figured out. But Felicity wasn’t looking at Marian, she was trying to look over her shoulder towards Ruby and Richard. Ruby and Richard Rowan.  
“GRAMPA RICK!” The vixen cried out, waving her hand.

Marian tilted her head for a moment, looking at the Police Chief’s fiancee in confusion, wondering why she was calling her grandsire-in-law, though more importantly, why she was calling Richard, “Grampa Rick,” a title usually reserved only for the tod’s immediate family. And then something in her mind clicked. “You’re…”  
Felicity looked at the badger. “And you’re…”  
The two stared at one another, slightly wide eyed, just as Richard exited back into the stands.   
“Who’s calling me Grampa…” Richard started to say before he locked eyes with Felicity. “FELI!” He cried out with glee before running over to the guard rail and opening his arms wide at her, something that Felicity wasn’t exactly going to turn down since she hadn’t seen the old fox in over a decade.  
The old fox purred happily as he wrapped his arms around the vixen, warmly and somewhat easily picking her up, something slightly astounding for a fox of his age. Feli let out a slight giggle as he sniffed at her fur. “You smell like blueberry pie! You know I love blueberry pie, Feli! Were you baking blueberry pie?! Ruby! Come here! It’s Feli!” He cried out as he turned his head over towards his wife.  
"Momma? You know these foxes?" Asked Danny, looking between the two in complete confusion. But Felicity either didn’t hear her son or was briefly ignoring him.  
"It's so good to see you both! Rick, you’re looking so well groomed! And Ruby, you’re as gorgeous as ever! How have you been? And yes, I was baking a big batch of pies this afternoon. I finally got into it as a profession! You simply must come to the Bakery!”  
“You have a bakery now?! I always knew you could do it! You always came over smelling like flour and sugar and fruits! My gosh, what happened to your leg? You had both last time we saw each other! OHH! Is it linked to your brain? Like Duke Groundwalker in Universe Conflict?”   
Feli let out a wild laugh.  
“No Rick. It’s just a simple wooden leg with basic joints and belts and elastics to make it move.”  
Rick let out a cute little pout. “Damn. And here I was hoping you’d learn how to use the Force.”  
“But how?-” Ruby began. Feli smiled, her ears falling sheepishly.  
“A bit of an accident back in college. I got jumped by a gang and my leg got hurt.”  
“Not to break up this lovely moment.” Elise said politely. “But who exactly are you, and how do you know our mother?” Felicity beamed at her daughter, gently extracting herself from Richards arms.  
“Oh honey, these are the Rowans! Dr. Ruby Rowan, and her husband are the grandparents of my old highschool sweetheart, Kody! Didn't I ever mention him?”  
Marian blushed softly as she looked at Felicity. “Kody… I mean… Robin… mentioned you,” the badger said with a slight flush. “Many good things. I am… sorry that it took this long for all the dots to connect.”  
“I’m glad he had good things to say. I wish I'd told the kids more about him, but with the bakery and the wedding planning….I just never had the chance. Does he still do that little whisker twitch when he laughs?”  
Marian giggled softly. “He does. And you know it feels so very good when he does that twitch,” she paused and blushed heavily, realizing what she was about to imply.  
Felicity snorted into her hand. “Can’t say we ever got to that level. We were just kits in love at the time.”  
The badger snickered. “That is not what I heard at least. Something about a thunderstorm and Junior Prom night.”  
The younger vixen blushed crimson. Of course Kody, er, Robin would remember that. But then, It had been one of the most special nights of her life.  
Marian smiled warmly as she held her hand out towards Felicity’s. “You know he’d be happy for you if he knew.” Felicity clasped the offered hand firmly, smiling so wide her eyes almost vanished into her dimples.  
“Just as I’m happy he found you Marian. Kody and I may have gone our separate ways, but I always wanted him to be happy.”  
The badger blushed, hand instinctively on her belly, giving the vixen a quick glance. “Would you like to?”  
“Oooh! Yes please!” Felicity gently laid her hand on Marian’s belly, grinning ear to ear. Her expression softened and fell into a look of warm maternal love. “It must feel so amazing to have your own children. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. I just...never had the chance to bear my own yet.”  
Marian blushed softly. She didn’t look too different from the first day she’d met Felicity at St. Marian’s when she’d showed up with her fiancee, but there was still a slight maternal glow to the monochrome furred woman. “It… took time. Lots of time. And patience,” the badger paused. “This was… this was our last chance to try it naturally. As much as Richard likes to boast about his family’s virility,” she blushed as she looked at Felicity. “You know he told me… about your agreement. He still has some of his…” The badger coughed, “Deoxyribonucleic Acid at the bank. I… I wouldn’t be hurt if you made a withdrawal. I have the source after all.” There was a giggle in her voice.  
“What are they talking about?” Asked Ellie, who had wandered with her siblings to the snack table. Elise blushed and lifted her chin. Her ears were sharper than the other two.  
“Grown-up stuff Elllie.”  
“Sounds like Momma and Mrs. Rowan’s husband used to boi-” Danny swiftly found his mouth covered by Bogo’s hand, the old bull giving him a stern glare.  
“Zip it or you’re not coming to the Pub with Hornz and me after the game.”  
“BUT THAT MEANS I CAN’T GET A SELFIE WITH HORNZ!” Danny said, or that was what he tried to say as his voice was completely muted by thick blue-gray fingers around his lips.   
Bogo released his grip on the rhino’s lips. Shrugging his shoulders, Danny slowly stood up out of his seat to squeeze by Elise and Ellie before heading towards the catering.  
“You are not bothered by all this…” Elise paused, trying to find the right word. “DNA talk, father?”  
“What your mother did in high school is none of my business Elise. Besides, I knew a little about Ko- er, Robin. She told me I wasn’t her first.”  
Back in the seats, Felicity was playing catch up with Richard and Ruby from across the guard rail.  
“So you’re here to cheer for Robin? That’s fantastic!”  
Ruby was smiling, that same smile Felicity remembered each time she’d come over to that three bedroom apartment in the sky. “I’m just so happy to see you again, Feli!” The precious stone colored vixen said happily. “I never knew you were getting married to the Chief of Police! You know he and Richard have a bit of history.”  
“Really? Martin never mentioned it. If I’d known you were still in the city, I’d have asked you over long before now! Oh! I need to adjust the wedding list, you should all come! Give me your mailing address, I’ll send you invitations!”  
Bogo, who had joined his fiancee in the suite’s bucket seats turned his head and coughed, slightly adjusting his tie, letting out a small cough. “I… don’t like to discuss it.”  
Felicity lifted an eyebrow and set her hands on her hips.  
“Is this about the time you tried to bust Vinnie on those parking violations?”  
Martin shifted his eyes and let out a low. “Y-yes.”  
Richard laughed. “You’re still sore about that, Boogie? I literally gave that case to my colleague’s cousin’s nephew’s fourth college roommate, who was interning at the time, and he was able to pick that case apart. You lost to Adam Yosef Mausenstien-Griswold-Mousekevitz-Goldstien-Tomjonovic… the third.”  
“Not Adam Yosef Mausenstien-Griswold-Mouskevitz-Goldstien-Tomjonovic the Third!” Felicity gasped in mock astonishment. “Well, no wonder you lost!”  
Martin rolled his eyes and grumbled. “Not my fault the D.A. was terrible.”  
Richard laughed, slapping himself on his knee. “Oh, come now, Boogie. You know I love twisting your horns. Besides. I think the last time we ran into one another in court was 1995.”  
“I know, I know. I made Sargeant not long after.”  
“And a good thing too. If you’d nabbed Vinnie back then, I never would have made it through college.” Felicity smirked.  
“Huh. You know Robby said the same thing.” The old fox said, putting a finger on his chin. He was just about to elaborate when Ruby butted in. “Felicity, dear. Did you ever meet Robin’s mother?” Felicity shook her head.  
“No, I don’t think so. Is she here?” she looked around eagerly, just barely spotting a red-yellow covered vixen standing next to a gigantic gray wolf just inside Richard and Ruby’s suite before every light in the stadium went off, bathing the entire stadium in black. Suddenly, a match was lit on the jumbotron before striking a wick, which caused the Assignment Improbable theme song to play while a counter ticked down. It was hard not to join in the count down with the rest of the crowd as the clock ticked passed eleven seconds.  
“Ten!”  
“Nine!”  
“Eight!”  
“Seven!”  
“Six!”  
“Five!”  
“Four!”  
“Three!”  
“Two!”  
“ONE!”  
At one, there was a massive flash of light that allowed the entire Zootopia Kings team to burst out onto the ice as the theme continued playing while they skated around on their side of the ice.  
A roar erupted from the Zootopia fans as their favorite players were announced in time, though most of the names were entirely muted by the crowd noise. As everything began to die down, the Saskwani Prairie Dogs made their entrance to an overwhelming number of boos, even though there were still a quarter of their fan base there. The only time anything changed was when they made their announcement for Robin Rowan. The booing seemed to subside as everyone cheered for the Hometown Hero playing for the only team that would take him.  
The fox made a little show of it, skating onto the ice and blowing kisses at the crowd, though more specifically towards his wife and family, whom the Jumbotron highlighted. Even though Robin couldn’t see it, the camera managed to include his wife, his grandparents, and Felicity Brush in the shot. Luckily, the maize and maroon clad fox didn't seem to notice at all as he kept skating around and back into line with his team mates as everyone lined up for the presentations of the National Colours and Anthems.

Danny was amazed at how someone who was playing for a different team was being handled as he stood in the main portion of their suite, filling up a plate full of cheese, crackers, popcorn, and candy. But just as he opened his mouth, the announcer on the TV spoke for him.  
“I haven’t seen this much love for a lost Zootopia son like this in years, Mike.”  
“You know it, Sean. I’m not sure if everyone remembers his dad, or it’s more amazement that someone his age could finally achieve his goals, but this crowd is excited to see Rob Rowan on the ice tonight.” Mike replied on the flat screen.  
“I think everyone is wondering if the apple fell far from the tree, Mike. Almost three decades ago, the Red Streak had his first home game for the Kings. Between him and Wayne Gretko, they managed to lead the Kings to a win. And when they teamed them up on the same line after that, well, we were looking forwards to hoisting the Cup at the end of the ‘91-92 season.”  
Danny raised an eyebrow, head turning towards any adult within earshot as he asked, “What happened?”  
The rhino looked confused. He couldn’t have known. He would have been… was there a word to describe someone’s age in the negative sense? The horned boy did know one thing; the Chief had been there. So had Felicity. So had Richard and Ruby. So had Kody… or was it Robin…’s parents. Or were they his parents? At least one of them was, but Danny had his answer in front of him as the TV began to roll a clip, even as the jumbotron kept showing various advertisements for the concession stands.  
There was an old polar bear standing in front of a podium, sobbing as he announced, “At 1 o’clock this morning, Chris Rowan passed away from complications from MIV. He is survived by his girlfriend and his son.”  
Danny flinched. Ouch. No wonder no one had been willing to talk about it... glancing at Felicity, he saw his mother's head bowed and her eyes full of tears. She looked so shocked.  
"I never knew." She muttered. "Robin never wanted to talk about...but I never asked...oh Gods. Ruby, Richard, I'm so sorry. May Frith guard him."  
She’d just finished her sentence before Ruby stood up and gave her a hug, the guard rail between them as a tear rolling down her cheek, just as a teary eyed, yellow-red vixen started to walk towards the bucket seats on their side of the guard rail, a finger wiping a small tear from her eyes.  
Ruby was just about to say something when the announcement came over the speakers.  
“Ladies and Gentlemammals… Mesdames et Messieurs… Please rise from the presentation of the colors and the singing of the National Anthem by 4 time Roary Award Winner Felix Leonine..S'il vous plaît se lever ou la présentation des couleurs et le chant de l'hymne national par quatre fois lauréat du prix Roary, Felix Leonine.”

A heavy set lion stood in the middle of the hockey rink, a microphone in hand beset by a group of what looked like National Guardsmammals from the local garrison in full regalia holding two ceremonial rifles and two flags, one of the United Species, and the other of Kanata. Both flags were held in high honors as Felix began to sing.

“Oh Kanata!  
Land of our ancestors  
Glorious deeds circle your brow  
For your arm knows how to wield the sword  
Your arm knows how to carry the cross;  
Your history is an epic  
Of brilliant deeds  
And your valour steeped in faith  
Will protect our homes and our rights,  
Will protect our homes and our rights.”

There was loud cheering and applause before the second song began to play.

“My native country, thee,  
Land of the noble free,  
Thy name I love;  
I love thy rocks and rills,  
Thy woods and templed hills;  
My heart with rapture thrills,  
Like that above.”

A cheering roar ran through the crowd as each team began to skate towards their respective benches while Felix Leonine and the National Guardsmammals exited the rink.

Ruby turned her head as she kept a paw on Felicity’s shoulder. The older vixen gently scooted back slightly, giving more room as her husband plopped down into his seat and pulled his knees closer to the cushion. “Feli,” she started to say as another vixen began to walk up towards them, “this is Robin’s mother, Josephine.”  
The yellow-red furred fox extended her hand towards the younger fox. “Pleased t’ meetcha, Felly,” she said in a warm motherly tone. “Kody told me a lot boutcha when you two was datin’.”  
Felicity felt her face flush a little. “I wish I could say the same thing, Jose-.”  
“Just call me Jo, sugar fox. Errybody does,” Jo interrupted but still wearing her warm smile on her muzzle.  
“Jo,” Felicity said the name aloud before continuing, “Robin never really talked about his life before he went to St. Robin’s, so everyone thought that… well.”  
Jo giggled, “That he wuz an orph’n, livin’ with his grandfoxes?”  
The younger fox nodded her head. “Yes.”  
The older vixen shook her head. “Well, when ya tell errybody yer mama’s murried to a wolf, and yer the size of a wolf, people jist start makin’ thangs up in their heads, even if there weren’t a droppa truth innit. That happened in Wolfsberg.”  
Felicity nodded her head in understanding.  
“He ain’t ashameda his step-daddy or his wolf famly, but he jist never really fit in over in Wolfsberg er Bunnyburrah,” Jo continued.  
“Bunnyburrow,” Feli repeated as her ears perked up. “Do you know Judy Hopps?”  
Jo giggled. “Course ah do! Her mama’n’me was acquaintances in High School. I knows about her. Mah brudder and his son usually keeps me informed about what’s going on, course prudy easy t’get news bout Judy when yer business partners with her mama’n’daddy.”  
“Really? Wait. You’re Gideon’s…” the younger fox began to ponder.  
“Aunt. His daddy’s sister.” The older vixen answered with a small smile on her lips.  
“Huh. It really is a small world,” Felicity giggled softly.  
“Well, Bunnyburrah ain’t exactly a big ol’ town. No matter what that pop’lation sign tells ya,” Jo giggled in return.  
The red furred vixen snickered. “True enough.”

Bogo blinked a few times as he looked towards the skulk of foxes and one badger congregated together against the guide rail. Marian was easily the tallest one of the group, but Josephine was the shortest of them all, only slightly shorter than Felicity by half an inch. The bull considered joining in the conversation, but was instead invited when Felicity turned her head to smile at him. "Jo, this is Martin Bogo. My fiance."  
The cape buffalo slowly slid out of his seat to stand up, hands brushing off a few kernels of popcorn from his shirt only to put his hand out at Josephine. “Pleasure.”  
“I think I member seein’ ya on TV during that there whole night howler fiasco.” Josephine said gently as she took his hand to give it a warm shake. “Heard a few things boutcha too, frum Judy’s mama.”  
“Good things, I hope,” Bogo gulped. He hadn’t exactly been easy to get along with when the bunny had shown up to the precinct. Then again, she was a rookie, and every rookie went through the same progression; starting at the bottom of the barrel with terrible assignments, learning where they fit in the hierarchy of command, and then crawling their way up from beat cop to supervisor and (if they were lucky) a position as a Precinct Chief and then Chief of Police. There was an order to everything, and bucking that order tended to bring out the bull’s horns more often than not. Judy had managed to pull off her little endeavor, even though she had technically resigned but Citizen’s Arrests were still legally valid. She’d make a good impression on her colleagues by showing her instincts and her ability to analyze the situation before taking appropriate action, though she had learned that the hard way. If it weren’t for her partner, Wilde, she’d probably still be going around in circles.The bunny had both the drive and the brains, but needed a cooler head to keep her in check. Something the lackadaisical Wilde provided.  
Jo giggled and nodded her head. Information from Bonnie and Stu was always tainted in some way; it wasn’t as if Judy would really share her feelings with her parents. Lord knows Jo never did, but she was sure there were more than a few kernels of truth in what she heard. “Course they was. She holds ya in high regard.”  
Felicity looked over at her fiance, who seemed to be letting out a sigh of relief. “Good to hear,” Bogo said with a warm smile. Felicity smiled and slipped her hand into his. She knew about the borderline hazing Judy had been put through, but understood that in a precinct full of larger, tougher mammals, the smallest could often be seen as a liability. All Bogo had done was try to keep her in line and toughen her up.  
“This here is my husband, Hubert.“Jo grinned, beckoning a gigantic gray wolf over. Felicity let out a small squeak. He was over six feet, and maybe even wider set than Bogo! Her eyes shot from Jo to Hubert a few times, wondering just how in the wide world they managed to fit together without Jo needing crutches. Then again, many often wondered the same about her and Bogo. Jo, seeing the now long familiar look of surprise, gave a giggle and patted Hubert’s barrel chest.  
“I can see them gears turning in that head of yers Felly. Th’ answer is yes, we fit t’gether pretty nicely.” The older vixen said with a giggle. ”Just as I’m sure you and the Chief fit t’gether.”  
Felicity blushed, embarrassed at being caught in her train of thought.  
Hubert chuckled just before wrapping his massive arms around the Jo and pulling her close.  
“We sure do,” he replied, not really catching on to the innuendo as he looked over at Felicity and Martin. Keeping one arm wrapped around his vixen, he reached his gigantic paw out towards the fox-cape buffalo pair. “Pleasure t’meetcha!”  
Bogo reached his hand out, giving the wolf a firm handshake, only to realize that it probably wasn’t the best idea. He’d been given strong handshakes before but the wolf’s felt like a vice. It didn’t help that Hubert was raising his arm up and down enthusiastically. The cape buffalo was glad he was a large mammal. If he wasn’t, he’d probably have been lifted off his feet and swung up and down like a whip.  
Jo let out a soft cough, making her husband blush slightly. “S-Sorry bout that,” he said as he released Martin’s hand.  
“He don’t really know his own strength,” his wife added while giving the wolf’s thick arm a gentle pat.  
“Why don’t you come over during the first intermission,” Ruby chimed in. “We have quite a bit of catching up to do.”  
“It is a little awkward trying to introduce everyone over the guard rail,” Felicity admitted.  
“Then that settles it,” Richard proclaimed. “Bring everyone over so we can meet this big family of yours!”  
“Gladly, Grampa Rick.” Beamed Felicity. Back in the seats, Danny and Elise had their heads together.  
“So, Momma used to date one of the players?” whispered Danny. Elise nodded.   
“Back when she was our age. They were very serious. They were planning to marry, but mother went to another school on the other end of town and they broke up.”  
“So you knew?”  
“Mother never mentioned any names. I am just as surprised as you.”  
“Well, how come Gramma didn’t tell us? Or Uncle Ross? I thought Momma went to prom with some dingus named Arnie Hoovesworth?”  
“That was Senior Prom. And only because Kody was out with the flu. Mother went to her Junior prom with Mr. Rowan. Grandmother has pictures. She made a whole scrapbook, but hid it away after the breakup. She feared it would hurt Mother to see him again.”  
“Wow… Momma used to have a real life and date and everything.” Danny leaned back in his seat. “Weird.”  
“Very.” Elise agreed. “Mother has given up so much time for us. It is difficult to imagine her dating anyone but Father.” Ellie bounced in her seat, looking down at the ice.  
“Mommy, Daddy! It’s starting!” Felicity and Bogo rushed to their seats, just in time.


	6. Game On!

The crowd was cheering as the teams’ starting lines skated out onto the ice, each player heading to their designated spot for the faceoff. Three players from the Prairie Dogs and three players from the Kings lined up along the red dashed line running through the center of the rink as two other players moved to the outskirts of the blue circle. One black and white striped referee skated towards the two players in the center, whistle between his lips and a puck in hand. As he held the puck up in the air, there was an immediate hush to the crowd. And then.  
The puck dropped.  
The noise was almost deafening as the two players in the very center of the rink fought for the puck, sticks clacking against one another and swiping at the small black dot before it blasted out behind the Kings’ Center, blindly passed towards one of the two players on the outskirts of the center ice circle.  
The game of strategy began as the defender held onto the puck for a brief moment, only to push it out to one of his teammates as the Kings went on the offensive, pushing the maize and maroon dressed team back towards their own goal, forming into a 2-3 defensive line formation. The hush returned to the crowd as everyone tried to watch the puck as it moved between the different Kings players, each one searching for the perfect gap in the Dogs’s defense.  
Finally, someone took the shot, puck flying through the air towards the goal only to go wide, slam into the glass, and drop down onto the ice.  
The gaggle of purple, maroon, maize, and gold huddled around the Saskatomin goal, everyone trying to get the puck out from behind the net. Pushing and shoving commenced, the puck popping out for brief moments before being stolen away and then stolen back as both teams attempted to control the pace of the game. And then, the little black disk got loose, rushing away from both teams as the gaggle chased after it.  
But the Prairie Dogs got there first, their Center bolting down the ice to catch the puck as the Zootopia goalie moved forwards. Everyone watched as Logan Running Wolf took the shot, but with so much speed, it looked more like a pass right into Guy Melinois open glove, eliciting a boisterous, roaring cheer from the home crowd as the referee blew his whistle.  
“Holy- WOAH!” Danny cried, on the edge of his seat. “Did you see that? They’re so fast!”  
“Good save!” Elise grinned excitedly. “Running Wolf is a good player, but Melinois has sharper reflexes.” Felicity was clapping along with the crowd, her heart hammering with the adrenaline rush.  
“I’m so glad you talked us into this, Honey!” she smiled at Bogo. The old bull didn’t reply, but he fully agreed. It was worth every penny to see his vixen’s eyes lit up like this. He was just about to say something when the loud speakers began to blair pipe organ music in a rhythmic tone, causing the crowd to start chanting, clapping, and stomping their feet, “Here we go Kings! Here we go!” It was so catchy that Bogo and Felicity found themselves joining in.

As the organ played, the players began gathering around the red End Zone Faceoff circle, each one in their designated positions as they waited from the puck to drop. Just as the last note was played, the little black disk fell down on the ice. Sticks clacked before it popped back out, this time headed in another blind pass to one of the Saskwatomin players, who nearly immediately took a shot at the goal. It slammed into the post with a loud pinging sound before jetting out at an angle only to crash into the boards and fall back onto the ice.  
Another scramble ensued towards the puck, but it was easily picked up by the Kings. The game seemed to slow slightly as the Kings took the opportunity to change lines. Players on the ice began to move around in circles, heading for the bench one by one only for their replacements to scramble onto the ice.   
With more fresh players, the Kings began to press their advantage, moving down the ice towards the Prairie Dog goal, taking the opportunity to pass the puck between one another as they tried to find the perfect position for a goal. The crowd began to cheer again, with some mammals in the audience banging on the glass. 

“Isn’t that Benny?” Danny asked as he pointed a finger towards a group of Kings fans enthusiastically pounding their paws on the glass, two of which were shirtless. Elise daintily covered her laugh with a paw.  
“Goodness, they seem to be getting into the game. What is written on their backs?”  
“Looks like Anderson’s got ‘Kings R #1’.” Bogo clapped a paw over his eyes.  
“And this is how they represent the law?” he muttered. Felicity patted his forearm gently.  
“Let’s just focus on the game. You can chew them out later.”

The puck moved between the Center and the two forwards. Back and forth and back and forth as each one changed position as they searched for an opening. Finally, the puck made it to Aleksandr Polarinski. The huge polar bear pulled his stick back only to slam it forwards, launching the puck towards the goal. The little black disk flew through the air at lightning speed as one of his teammates, Ilya Storozhevaya, lifted his stick up, deflecting the puck in mid air, just enough to sneak past Albrecht Oberon’s glove and into the back of the net.  
Nearly the entire crowd jumped out of their seats as a police siren blared, a rotating beacon (specifically installed for that game) flashed red and blue light from behind the net as “GOAL!” burst onto the jumbotron. Play completely ceased as the Kings celebrated with fist and chest bumps along with high fives.  
“Zootopia Kings Goal,” the announcer said over the loudspeakers, “Number 46, Ilya Storozhevaya. Assisted by Number 23, Aleksandr Polarinski.”  
“Yes!” Elise hissed, pumping her fist. “First goal to the Kings!”  
“They might have scored first, but the Dogs can still catch up.” said Ellie. Danny gawked at the fawn.  
“How do you know that Peanut?” he asked. “And since when are you a Prairie Dog fan?”  
“Since Mr. Rowan is on their team. I don’t wanna cheer against my teacher. And the Dogs might win. Remember my game with the Haystacks last year? They got the first goal, but we beat them by eight points.”  
“Your sister’s right Danny.” Felicity grinned. “The first goal can never fully predict the game. And I haven’t seen Robin on the ice yet.”  
Danny looked over at his mother. “Was he good?”  
“He was pretty good in High School,” the vixen replied as she looked over at her son.  
“Not as good as his old tod,” Bogo piped in, “but he was decent in the minors.”  
“Then why didn’t he get picked up until this season?” The rhino asked.  
“Could be any number of things; not impressing the scouts, not what the team is looking for,” the cape buffalo pondered, “Not really sure.”  
“Both,” Marian said from the other side of the guard rail as she turned her gaze over to Bogo. “He did not impress the scouts and most teams were trying to draft players that were still in college, but Robin wanted to get an education first. He didn’t want to get injured and have no way to provide for a family,” the badger added.  
Everyone nodded, though Ellie looked a little nervous. “Are talent scouts hard to impress, Mrs. Rowan?”  
“They can be, dearie,” Marian said in a very motherly tone, “But chin up. Even if it takes a while, there is no reason you should not try.”  
The fawn nodded her head as she slowly began to smile.

The crowd began to die down as both teams moved back towards center ice, but as the Kings began to take position, the Prairie Dogs were switching lines. One by one, a fresh set of maize and maroon began skating out onto the ice and taking their positions, and on the right wing, was Robin Rowan. A cheer began to erupt again as the organ played “Here we go Kings! Here we go!” again. The ref skated up to the two in the center, waiting for the last note to play before dropping the puck back onto the ice.  
The scramble renewed with the puck getting pushed back to the home team’s defenders. The Dogs were back on the defensive again as Polarinski moved down the ice with the puck before passing it on to his teammates. Players bumped up against one another, trying to keep the puck from one another.  
The gigantic polar bear waited at the blue line, head looking back and forth trying to find an opening. Finally, he spotted one. His stick rammed forwards, sending the little black disk towards Antoine Fabron, and then something happened.  
A stick shot out in front of the puck, blocking its progression, only to turn it in the opposite direction. It took a moment before a cry went through the crowd as a player streaked down the ice, going full bore with Polarinski and Storozhevaya hot on his heels. The Kings had made a simple mistake by pulling all five players towards the Prairie Dogs’s goal, leaving their half of the ice undefended save for their goalie. The crowd seemed to quiet almost as abruptly as they began to scream as the red, maize, and maroon streak flew down the ice as fast as he could. Malinois began moving out of the goal, crouching forwards and as he prepared to pounce. The two players converged, getting closer and closer. And then it happened. The goalie leaped towards the puck, glove extended, but the puck suddenly wasn’t there. With a flick of the wrist, the little black disk flew up and over Malinois and into the net. The siren blared as the red and blue beacons flashed their lights over the crowd, while the crowd seemed to be completely still, unsure of whether to cheer or boo. At least the home crowd. The few Saskwatomin fans began to erupt in their own small roar while the jumbotron flashed “Goal” on its screen.  
“Saskwatomin Prairie Dogs Goal,” the announcer said over the loudspeakers, “Number 75, Robin Rowan, unassisted.”

“Yess!!!” Ellie was on her feet, hopping gleefully while her brother sighed.  
“Man, they let him get in too easy!”  
“No, Rowan was just too fast. Mother was right, he has skill.”  
Felicity gave joyful holler, tail thumping against the back of her seat..  
“Atta boy Robin! He’s faster than he was back in the day! Just shows how hard he’s been working.”  
“Huh.” Bogo leaned forward, watching Robin skate a victory lap. “He might just live up to his dad’s hype after all. A few more moves like that and the Dogs might just take this game.”  
“They’ll be on their guard now.” said Danny. “Just watch. The Kings’ll keep a close watch on him on the next play.”

Danny was right. The Kings learned from their mistake, keeping an eye on Robin, even as the lines changed again for both sides. Everyone was on the edge of their seats the entire time as the period wound down, watching both teams move back and forth as they tried to score, but each shot missed, going wide or up into the protective netting around the rink. The Kings were charging down the ice when the First Period buzzer blew as time ran out.

Elise leaned back in her seat, letting her head loll back with a sigh.  
“That was exhilarating. And this was just the first part.”  
“I know!” Danny agreed, getting up to fetch a drink. “Hey Momma, can we get the Northern Sports Channel on Cable when we get home? If this is what one game is like, I wanna see more! It’s almost as exciting as boxing!”  
“I’ll call the company on Monday, sweetie.” Felicity stood as well, stretching her cramped leg. She’d been so tense the last few minutes, the burn of stretching the muscles felt marvelous. Bogo’s warm hand came up to rub her back.  
“Not bad for the first chunk of the game, eh kids?” he leaned forward to glance at the Rowans. “You got a heck of a Player!”  
“Takes after his old sire,” Richard replied with a beaming smile.  
“He loved watchin’ his daddy play,” Jo added as her mind wandered back into the past. “I member when daddy decided t’watch hockey cause there weren’t nuthin’ else on. Kody was bout two er three. He wuddn’t take his eyes off that screen fer nuthin’.”  
Ruby smiled. “He begged us to send him to every hockey camp he could go to when he moved in.”  
“How we first met,” Marian mused. “We, quite literally, ran into one another while he was headed to practice.”  
“In college, I assume?” asked Bogo. The sow badger snickered. “Of course. Would have been awfully hard for us to meet before that as I was finishing Upper Sixth in Kingland at the time.”  
“I assume that’s like...high school?” Felicity asked curiously. “My family is third generation Zootopian, so I’m not quite up to snuff with how other schools work.”  
“High school senior, love.” Bogo replied, patting Felicity’s shoulder. “Mum always referred to my grades in Kinglish terms.” Felicity smiled, remembering her own days in school.  
“I remember seeing Robin on the Hockey team at St. Robin’s way back in the day, back before the two schools merged.”  
“Really? Robin said he met you at the Sadie Clawkin’s dance in Year 10.”   
“Well, my brother, Roscoe, used to bring home the school paper. Any time Robin made it in, he’d make sure I’d find it. I didn’t find out until just before the Sadie Clawkin’s Dance that Roscoe had been talking me up to him for weeks, and my sister, Grace, had been in on it the whole time.” Felicity blushed as she began to reminisce about the old days.  
“Then how about you bring the fam and come over to our suite for a bit, Feli,” Richard chimed in.  
“I’m Game!” Danny grinned. Elise stood quietly, brushing off her jeans and grabbing Ellie as the fawn pronked towards the door. Felicity gave a quick nod, grasping Bogo’s hand.  
“On our way Rick.”


	7. Intermission

The Rowan’s suite was almost identical to A10, the only difference being that the pictures on the walls were of Chris Rowan. Some showed him in action on the ice, one was him cheering in a group with his team and the last was a headshot of him in a fine suit. Felicity was surprised to see just how much Robin resembled the older todd. Josephine slowly walked up next to her, a drink in hand. “Sure did take after his daddy,” she said before taking a sip from the glass.  
“Yeah.” Feli replied, sipping her soda. “But there’s some Rick in there too. I think Robin had your eyes though...Jo, if you don’t mind my asking, what made you and Chris break things off?”  
The older vixen let out a sigh. “It was over Kody,” she said as she looked down at her drink as she swirled the liquid and ice cubes around in the glass. “We… we was young. He was 21 and gonna gradiate. I was 18 and jist started at Z’topia U. We got all frisky one night, and… well… Kody was on his way before we knew it. Neithera us was ready. We had a disgreement over what we shud do. Said sum thangs that cut deep. He never cum round t’pollergize fer what he said and dun, own up t’it and make thangs right. And that was that.”  
Felicity winced, letting her ears flatten. By comparison, her breakup with Kody seemed utterly ridiculous. “I’m sorry. It must have been hard for you to go through. You’re a tougher vixen than I am, I tell you that.”  
Jo looked up at the picture of Chris Rowan. “It was. Told m’self I didn’t love’m anymore, but I did. He eventually appoloergized, but by that point, I’d been raisin’ Kody with the help of mama’n’daddy and my brudder’n’his wife.” Felicity looked back at Ruby and Richard, who were chatting with the kids.  
“Ruby and Rick never knew, I assume?” she remembered enough about the two that their son ditching an unborn kit he sired wouldn’t have flown well with them at all. Knowing Ruby, she’d have hauled him to Jo’s doorstep by the ear.  
Jo looked over at her son’s grandparents. “No, not at first. Chris didn’t tell’m bout it fer th’longest time, not til he ended up in the hospt’l. He was scurred an’shamed to admit it to’m. He was always close with his daddy. I spect Rick wudda fixed his wagon.” The older fox sighed. “Ya knows, I wished he did. There was a few weeks where I was hopin’ Chris would show up t’pollergize like in that movie, the one where that feller is standin’ in th’rain holdin’ a boombox over his head. But if wishes was fishes, no one’d be hungry.”  
“My Momma says the same thing.” chuckled Felicity. “And… I know how that feels. When Momma took me in, her husband left. Didn’t want a fox in the Pod, y’know? When I was little, I used to wish on every evening star that my fairy Godmother would turn me into a Hippo, so he’d come home again… And the week after I broke up with Robin.” she paused and fiddled nervously with her paws. Oh, this was gonna suck. “I kept wanting to pull a similar stunt. I kept thinking I should just drop out of the Culinary Arts Academy and take a basic cooking course at ZU, just so I could be with Robin again. Then I found my son, and I needed to stay in school to provide for him. I couldn’t just show up at his dorm with a baby joey and expect things to go back to normal!"  
Jo looked at Feli slightly confused. There weren’t any kangaroos in the suite, but then she shook her head. “Kody didn’t tell ya, did he?”  
“Tell me what?” Felicity cocked her head. Had something happened?  
“He never stayed at the dorms in college,” the older vixen said. “He had a two bedr’m apartment.” Felicity suddenly felt a strange swirl of emotions; anger and regret over not taking the chance when she could have, a sudden flare of affection for her highschool sweetheart, shame for even thinking about him when he was married and she was engaged. She glanced at Jo ruefully.  
“Guess I really ruined things with him back then, huh?”  
The older vixen shook her head and put a paw on her shoulder. “Sugar fox, if he didn’t tells ya, there ain’t no way you’da known. He was waitin’ fer the check t’clear when ya’ll broke up. Life don’t exactly go 100% the way ya wants it to, and makin’ mistakes an learnin’ from’m is part of it. I weren’t exactly spectin’ t’be a single mama. I was going to Z.U. I was gonna be on TV, but then things changed. I met a tod and fell in love, but then things went in another direction entirely.” She finished her motherly advice off with a warm smile, only to add, “B’sides, from what I hear, yer brudder’n’sister didn’t exactly want him talkin’ to ya after that.” Felicity sighed and rubbed the bridge of her muzzle in frustration.  
“Hapana. I’ll have to apologize to him about them before the wedding. I swear, I’m gonna end up skinning Ross. You don’t think Robin has any hard feelings about it, do you?”  
Jo giggled. “No. He never said a harsh word boutcha. Kody wanted to call ya, he was just scurred of yer brudder’n’sister. Something about getting turned into a sole. Whatever that is.”  
“A Stole.” Felicity groaned. “Typical. Just typical of Ross to make stupid threats just cause he saw I was hurting. Idiot.”  
Jo shook her head. “Well, Ross should thank his lucky stars that Kody only told me’n’not his grandsire,” the older fox said before turning to look over at Rick. “That crazy old fox don’t exactly take kindly to some’n saying thangs like that to his only grandtod. He still ain’t used all them favors he got from savin’ Vinnie’s bacon.”  
“Thank the gods indeed.” the younger vixen agreed, following her gaze to the old tod, who seemed to be talking to Danny and Elise and gesticulating wildly, much to their amusement.  
Jo giggled softly before turning her head back to Feli. “Would ya like t’know bout Kody’s daddy?”  
“Please.” Felicity smiled. “He must have been a charmer if Rick and Ruby were his parents.”  
The older vixen giggled. “Oh, you know it.” Jo winked before turning to look up at the picture of her late ex-boyfriend.

Rick was standing there in front of Elise and Danny, head tilted up to look at the bear and rhino. “You know, there’s times like these I wish I was a maned wolf instead of a fox,” the old fox said in between popping cheese cubes between his jaws and chomping down on them.  
“Just be glad we’re not fully grown yet or your neck’d be killing you.” Danny smirked, flicking a small cracker into the air and tilting his head back to catch it with a crunch of flat teeth. “But Momma says having to look up at us all the time has fixed her posture.” Elise jabbed Danny with an elbow for his lack of manners.  
“Danny, eat like a civilised mammal, will you? Mother taught you better.”  
“Spoilsport. I was just having some fun.” the young rhino huffed.  
Rick chuckled. “I don’t know about posture, but if you two get any taller, I’m going to need a scissor lift,” the old fox mused right before flicking a cheese cube up in the air with a thumb. He opened his jaws wide, letting the yellow gold fall into the back of his muzzle only to start loudly chewing on the morsel. His wife just rolled her eyes, even at 75 years old, he was acting like a teenager. Typical. Elise slapped a paw to her face. This would only feed Danny’s need to show off and try to outdo the old tod.  
“If you are going to make a fool of yourself while eating, at least try some of the vegetables.” she admonished. “You are still underweight for your age.”  
“Ix-nay on the weight thing!” Danny hissed back, glancing at the Rowans nervously. “Momma says I just haven’t caught up from when I was little yet. I’m still due for a growth spurt or three.”  
“If you need to add on some weight, Danny, you should consider eating more cheese,” Rick proposed as Ruby perked an eyebrow, wondering where he was going with this as she watched her husband gulp down another cube.  
“Believe me, I’m trying. I scarf down like, three veggie cheeseburgers a day before practice, and Momma makes her Cheesy Noodle Kaboodle at least twice a week so I can carb up, but the weight won’t stay on. Dr. Namish thinks it's all going towards fat reserves I should have had as a kid, but don’t.” Danny snatched a cube of cheese for himself, flicking it up and bouncing it off of his horn before snatching it with a satisfied chomp. Elise shook her head in exasperation.  
“You would have the fat reserves if you stopped working out every spare second. You burn more calories than you take in, I keep telling you! Dr. Rowan, you are a medical professional, yes? Please tell my silly brother what happens to young bulls who work too hard and do not eat.”  
Ruby began to open her mouth but her husband butted in. “Danny, my boy. Let me tell you something; the ‘cheese’ they put in your burgers might as well be plastic. No nutritional value. I’ve had the pleasure of your mother’s cooking, and it is wonderful! But you need to supplement your diet with more cheese. It’s a wonderful, wondrous fruit! It’s versatile and there are thousands of different kinds. Why, you could eat cheese twice a day and it would take you months before you ate the same two kinds twice! You can cut it anyway you like! Cubes! Slices! Shredded! Crumbles! There are soft cheeses to keep in the refrigerator, and hard cheeses to carry around with you. You can melt it, put it on salad, put it on meat, put it on bread, put it on a cracker. Just think about all the possibilities.”  
“Oh god damnit, Richard,” his wife quietly mumbled under her breath as she placed her paw over her eyes. ”Not the cheese speech again.”  
“Erm…I dunno Mr. Richard. Wouldn’t that much cheese play havoc on your guts?” Danny mumbled. “Wouldn’t you get like, a calcium overdose or something?”  
The old fox was about to open his mouth when his wife grabbed him by the shoulders. “Richard. Dear. Why don’t you get some of that wonderful cheddar you found earlier.”  
“Fantastic idea, honey! I could use some more,” he said before scurrying off.  
Ruby let out a heavy sigh as she turned to face them. “Firstly, don’t listen to my husband. Secondly, your sister’s right Danny. You should consider working out less and eating more. Having too little fat is just as dangerous as having too much of it.” The old vixen pause. “Finally, don’t tell my husband, but I replaced most of his dairy cheese with almond milk cheese years ago, and he’s never caught on.” Even Elise had to clap both paws to her muzzle at that, stifling the giggles that threatened to burst out of her. Danny just watched the old fox in bewilderment.  
“What’s with the cheese thing? Is he just obsessed or did he have a bad hypnosis incident?”  
“Danny! Do not be rude.”  
“Sorry. Dr. Rowan…”  
Ruby brushed it off. “It’s fine. Richard is a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to three things; cheese, grapes, and wine. He just has a tendency to… go a bit overboard, especially when he finds a new brand or flavor or formula. He… takes some getting used to, but he’s a very caring and very sweet tod.”  
Danny slowly nodded his head. “Uh-huh,” the young rhino said, “How did you two stay married for so long?”  
Elise growled at her brother. “Danny!”  
The old vixen just shook her. “It’s fine, Elise. Danny isn’t the first person to ask us that, but we balance each other out. And as eccentric and excitable as he can be, he always puts his family first. He spent long hours at the office, but always made sure to make time for me and our kits.”  
“Kits?” Danny interrupted.  
“Danny, do not interrupt.” Elise said as she looked at her brother.  
“Chris and Mike,” Ruby replied, “When Chris was born, he made sure to change his class schedule so he’d be able to take care of him while I was in class. And then when Mike was born, he made sure to take more time off so he could spend it at home with the kits. He even kept taking time off so he could be there for them and then the grandkits. Of course, it helped that he’d made partner after helping out Ibrahim Mousekewitz favorite client.”  
“You mean Mr. Big?” The rhino asked.  
The old fox nodded her head. “Yes.”  
“Did he really give that case to his intern?” Elise inquired with skepticism in her voice.  
Ruby giggled. “Yes and no,” she replied, “He had Adam help him with the case, mostly because he was working a divorce case at the same time.”  
“Your husband does both criminal and civil law? I have never heard of a lawyer doing both.” The bruin pondered.  
“Richard never really specialized, not that it really matters. Most of his firm’s clients come to him with civil disputes,” the old fox answered, “But he was able to wrap up the divorce paperwork, and picked up where Adam left off.”  
“So Adam was not there for the trial.” Elise stated.  
“He was, but he wasn’t the lead council for the defense. That was Richard.”  
“So why does Rick keep telling pops that he lost to an intern?” Danny butted in.  
Ruby shook her head. “Rick likes ribbing on Chief Bogo. Not that they don’t like each other or get along. We’re members of the same country club, and they’ve played hundreds of rounds of golf with one another. Besides, I’m sure Martin would return the favor if he ever bests Richard in a courtroom.”  
Danny and Elise nodded their heads as the rhino took a quick look around. “So… uhm… we haven’t met anyone named Mike yet,” he pointed out.  
“Mike and his wife couldn’t make it tonight. They had already planned to visit their grandkits in Duwamish and Duckburg when we found out that the Kings wanted to honor Chris tonight.” Ruby replied before taking a sip of her drink, “But Mike’s had an MHL Subscription for years, so I’m sure he’ll be watching. I was told that ZSNN will be broadcasting the ceremony tonight as a part of the regular game broadcast.”  
Danny opened his mouth to say something, but couldn’t really think of anything to say. Luckily for him, he didn’t need to as the loud speakers began to announce something going on down on the ice that involved some sort of dancing and a t-shirt cannon. The young rhino’s attention immediately pulled his head towards the rink. Elise let out a snort as her brother broke the conversation to stare down at a troupe of varying mammals dancing on a large portion of carpet laid out in the middle of the hockey rink while a lion dressed up like King Arthur, a lioness dressed like Guinevere, and two other random mammals wearing costume armor fired t-shirt cannons into the crowd after the safety netting was lowered far enough down for each rolled up garment to easily clear it. “You will have to forgive my brother, Dr. Rowan. He can be easily distracted.”  
The elder vixen chuckled as she smiled over at Danny. “It’s the intermission, Elise. You should watch the festivities,” she said, “And if not, you could go to the gift shop. There’s one just down the hall from the suite. I’m sure you kids would enjoy it.”  
"Perhaps. We never had much chance to see gift shops in the past. I will ask Mother." Fortunately, it seemed Bogo was thinking along the same lines as Ruby. He gave a whistle to attract Elise and Danny's attention.  
"Kids, why don't you three go down to the gift shop and get some souvenirs? Something to remember your first game." Danny perked up, turning from the ice with a grin.  
"For real? Can I get a Kings cap?"  
"Go for it. Elise, here. You can hold the cash for it. $25 for each of you. Seem fair?" He handed over three bills with a smile. Ellie was already skipping to the door when Felicity spoke up. “Chief. I think we should go with them. It’s the first time they’ve been to the stadium and I don’t want them to get lost.”  
Bogo nodded his head. She was right. Elise usually had a good sense of direction, but it wouldn’t be hard for them to get separated, and the last thing he needed was to track down Danny or Ellie in a gigantic stadium, even if they were on the suite level. He was just about to say something when Richard butted in. “Don’t worry, Feli! Ruby and I can take the kids to the gift shop.”  
“Are you sure, Grampa Rick?" Felicity asked as she looked at the old fox.  
“I insist! I need to stretch my legs, and I’m sure Ruby would like to spend more time with your kids. Besides! Gift shops are fun! I’m sure we’ll have a great time! Don’t worry about us getting lost! I know this stadium like the back of my paw!”  
His wife cocked an eyebrow while Felicity chewed on the inside of her lip before nodding her head. “All right, Grampa Rick.”  
Ruby held her hand up. “I’m coming too,” she said before moving beside her husband and putting her arm around his before leaning in to whisper, “You gave your wallet to me, remember.”  
“Ah! Yes! Thank you for reminding me, honey,” her husband said, much to the chagrin of Felicity. “Come on, kids! Let’s hit the gift shop!”

Martin put a hand on Felicity’s back. “You sure you don’t want me to go with them?”  
The vixen shook her head. “No. As… unusual as Rick can be, he’s fairly responsible,” she paused, “Besides, he’d probably turn the gift shop into a competition.”  
“What do you mean by that?” the buffalo inquired, eyebrow cocking as the door closed behind Danny.  
“Grampa Rick is… a little…” Feli searched for the right words, but Bogo decided to jump in. “Bananas?”  
“Competitive,” his bride corrected, holding a finger up. “He’d probably try to out spend you if you bought anything for the kids.”  
“You’re joking,” the bull snorted in a half-statement-half-question. “Sounds like he’s trying to buy affection.”  
“No, deep down, he just likes making people happy." Felicity mused.  
Martin cocked his eyebrow again. “Why do I get the feeling that everyone's going to come back with jerseys.”  
The fox giggled. “Just don’t be surprised if that happens.”

In the gift shop itself, Ellie was looking wide eyed at all the merchandise for the Kings; jerseys, mugs, banners, flags, hats, scarves, pictures of players, plushies of players, even stuffed animals in team colors or wearing tiny jerseys! Danny made his way over to the touques and caps, looking for one in his size. Elise browsed through a series of commemorative coins.  
“Hey Leezy, whatcha think?” Danny asked, turning around with a purple cap fixed on his head at a jaunty angle, a gold K stitched in the front. Elise smiled and reached over to put the cap on straight.  
“There. Now you look better.”  
The rhino let out a small huff as his sister adjusted his ball cap. He liked it just slightly cocked to the side. “Thanks, Leezy,” he replied before taking the hat off, “I think I’ll take this one. You know what you’re going to get?”  
Elise shook her head as she moved next to her brother. “Not yet. I was not ready for such a large selection of merchandise.” The bear’s eyes scanned the plethora of hats, beanies, and scarves. "Perhaps I should choose something useful. I would hate to waste money on something that will wear out in a day or on some knick knacks we do not need."  
Danny rolled his eyes. "You sound like Momma. Ooh! Lookit, that would fit you perfect!" Elise followed her brothers finger to a matching scarf and hat set, designed in pastel shades of Kings colors to appeal to the ladies.  
"It'll go great with your coat and fur, and Winters in Germany get really cold."  
Elise nodded her head. For once, Danny was thinking practically. “You are correct,” she responded before reaching a hand out to take hold of the scarf-beanie set, gently taking it from the shelf. The bear turned to the mirror, holding up the pastel purples and golds up to her thick white neck fur, just to make sure it didn’t completely clash. “I shall buy this, then.”  
“Told you it would look great on you, Leezy,” the rhino grinned. It was two down, one more to go, Danny mused to himself as he looked around for Ellie.

Ellie seemed to have the hardest time picking out something from the gift shop. The fawn was darting between the stuffed animals, completely ignoring any hats, beanies, scarves, shirts, or jerseys. She liked all of them, and choosing one was going to be extremely hard, even with Ruby just a foot or two behind her.  
After what felt like an eternity, she had finally decided on two that she liked the most; a stuffed polar bear in a purple and gold home jersey, and a fox in the exact same jersey. Slowly, Ellie reached out and picked up both before turning to Ruby. “Which one should I get, Mrs. Ruby?”  
The deep red furred vixen leaned forwards. “Well, how about you tell me why you like them?”  
The fawn nodded her head as she looked at the polar bear. “This one reminds me of Elise,” she said with a happy smile on her face, before looking over at the fox. “And this one reminds me of mommy, but it says Rowan on the back of the jersey.”  
“That is a very hard decision,” Ruby mused to herself, knowing full well that those stuffed foxes were a one time item. It didn’t help that the stuffed animals were overpriced since the gift shops had captive audiences.  
Ellie chewed on her bottom lip, eyes moving back and forth between the fox and the polar bear, ears twitching before finally making a decision. “I wanna get the polar bear.”  
Ruby nodded her head, a plan already forming in her mind. Then again, she was fairly sure her husband had formulated his own plan once he’d heard about taking the kids to the gift shop.  
She’d just about said something when Rick slithered up behind her. “Say, Ellie… what size t-shirt do you wear?”  
The question caught the fawn slightly off guard before answering. “Medium Mammal Cub’s Small,” she replied with a slight giggle, as her young mind started to put together why the old fox was asking that question.  
“Medium Mammal Cub’s Small. And do you know what sizes Danny and Elise wear?”  
“Elise wears a Large Mammal Medium,” there was a slight pause. “I think Danny wears a Large Mammal Extra Large.”  
Richard nodded his head as he grinned. “Thanks! I’ll be right back,” he said before scampering back to the jerseys.  
Ruby let out a sly giggle, as Ellie smiled. “Is Grampa Rick getting us something?”  
“He is. I just hope he remembers that I have HIS credit card in my purse.” The fox mused before turning her head back to the doe. “How about you put the fox back and go find your brother and sister.”  
Ellie nodded her head. “Okay, Mrs. Ruby.” She put the fox back on the shelf, but held the polar bear tight to her as she trotted over to Elise.

Elise was still checking herself in the mirror, wanting to be thrice sure that her scarf and beanie would look good on herself when she spied her sister in the reflection. Slowly, the polar bear turned around, head looking down at the fawn doe who was craning her head up to look at her all the while pushing a plushie in a Kings Jersey towards her.  
“It’s you,” Ellie said with a big smile on her lips.  
Her older, taller sister smirked as she looked down at the purple and gold clad polar bear plush. “So it is,” Elise replied before reaching out to take the plush from the doe, holding it up as she chuckled softly, turning the plush around to check the price tag. There was a slight sigh of relief as it was just under their budget. “Is this what you will be purchasing?”  
“Uh huh! It was this one or a cute fox one that made me think of mommy!” Ellie beamed, “But I picked this one cause it makes me think about you, Elise.”  
The polar bear smiled, knowing exactly why Ellie had picked the plush before handing it back to her little sister. She was just about to say something when Danny wandered back towards them.  
“Hey peanut! Find anything you can’t live without?”  
The fawn nodded her head excitedly as she pushed the plush towards her older brother. “I found Elise!”  
The rhino chuckled. “You did! Well… if Leezy had a jersey.”  
Elise shook her head at the remark. It would be nice to have a jersey, but also impractical, not to mention overly expensive. “Perhaps one day I will come home wearing one,” the bruin teased him back.  
Danny snickered. The thought of Elise buying anything not 100% practical was almost rejected outright by his imagination. Then again, the idea of her shopping for anything other than groceries or school supplies was hard to grasp too.  
“Shall we go to the checkout counter, then? We have found everything that we cannot live without.” Elise said in her usual way.  
“Probably a good idea, Leezy.” the rhino replied, still looking around and finding a few other things he wanted but knew he couldn’t afford. Well… at least not until he became the Super Heavyweight Champion of the World and had his face plastered all over cereal boxes. Maybe someday he'd have merch just like this and kids would beg their moms and dads for a poster or a scarf! Of course, he'd make sure it was set at a more reasonable price. 35 dollars for a mug, honestly!  
“Then we will go,” the polar bear stated, right before taking hold of Danny and Ellie’s hands to guide them towards the counter.

Elise held her breath slightly as she watched the clerk scan each item. The most expensive things had been the plush, with the scarf and beanie set a close second. What saved the day was Danny’s ballcap, which had been on sale, making the final total just short of the combined $75 Bogo had given them. The polar bear let out a small sigh of relief as her brother handed over the cash and took the bag. They were just about to leave when Ellie tugged on their shirts.  
“Have you seem Grampa Rick and Mrs. Ruby?” The doe asked, horned head turning about trying to find the two foxes.  
“I haven’t seen them anywhere, peanut,” The rhino responded with his own scan over the gift shop.  
Elise joined in the visual search, head looking left and right just before she spotted the two foxes casually standing just outside, clutching their own bags.  
"There they are." She said. "Come."

Richard and Ruby were waving their arms at the trio, not entirely sure why they hadn’t seen them up until now. Then again, the two had checked out a good five minutes before them. Richard was, of course, wearing his usual goofy grin, the one he smiled when he knew something that someone else didn’t as he held onto the large bag.  
"Going by that grin, you guys got something good." Danny smirked as he walked up, hands in his pockets. "You manage to snag one of the Streak's Jerseys?"  
“Not just one,” the old fox beamed before reaching down into the bag and tossing a gold and purple jersey at the rhino’s chest. The gesture completely caught Danny off guard, almost dropping the balled up fabric onto the carpeted floor. Elise opened her mouth to say something when another ball of purple and gold hit her mid chest.  
Richard was just about to do the same to Ellie, when Ruby reached down to grab his wrist, giving him a smiling glare before yanking the fawn’s jersey away from him and gently handing it to the young doe.  
Danny and Ellie’s eyes went wide at the sight of their jerseys, their very own jerseys. And they weren’t the cheap overpriced ones. They were the real deal. Genuine replicas of the jerseys the players were wearing. The only one not completely wide eyed was Elise, who reacted in her usual way of cocking an eyebrow as she held the predominantly purple with gold accent marked jersey before her.  
“They’re yours,” Richard said with a smile.  
“NO WAY! Really?” Danny beamed as he turned the gold jersey with purple accents around, checking out the name and number on the back. As he figured, it was the Streak’s Jersey, Number 75. How could it not be? It was the last time they were going to stock and sell the jerseys.  
“Yes, really,” the old fox grinned as he looked between the rhino, the polar bear, and the gazelle. Elise seemed to be the only hesitant one in the group as both Danny and Ellie immediately pulled on their matching jerseys, the two tugging on the bottoms to admire the stitched logo of a purple lion wearing a bejeweled crown on the top of its head all outlined in white. She was turning her own jersey back and forth, eyes tracing over every stitch. The polar bear wasn’t used to getting gifts outside of holidays, and the few times outside of those had been rewards for doing well in school or being at the top of her ballet class. And even those had usually been money left out on the kitchen table for her to buy her own gifts. The few times she’d gotten anything outside of money, or at least the few times she could remember, had been when her father’s servants intercepted the cash to go out and purchase something she’d mentioned to them in passing when they took her to school or ballet or the thirty minutes of television she had been allowed to watch. That was until she’d run away to be with Felicity. The fox, who was more mother than her actual mother, had given her gifts and presents too, and they tended to be food or gestures like going to the park.  
“You are sure about this?” Elise finally spoke, her sharp teeth slowly dragging along her bottom lip as she looked down at the jersey.  
“Sure I’m sure, Leezy,” Richard replied with his own warm smile, already starting to use the bruin’s nickname. Elise blushed and hugged her jersey before pulling it on, tugging at the bottom to look down at the stitched logo of a gold crowned lion outlined in white.  
Ellie let out a small giggle as she held her polar bear plush towards her older sister. “You’re twins!”  
The bear giggled to herself, flashing the fawn a warm smile as she looked at the plush toy. “So we are.” Elise mused before looking over at the fox couple. She was just about to say something when the goal horn blasted through the arena to signal the end of the first intermission.  
“We should get back to the suites,” Ruby pointed out as she gently took Ellie’s hand. “We don’t want to miss the second period, do we?”  
“No way, Jose! Never thought hockey could be so much fun to watch,” Danny exclaimed before turning around and heading forth down the hallway. Ellie and Elise let out a small chuckle. “I will go get him,” the polar bear stated before heading after her brother.  
Richard, Ruby, and Ellie nodded their heads before they too started the walk back to the suites. The tod still held onto the bag while the vixen gently held onto Ellie’s hand. “Ellie, there’s another present for you,” Ruby said with a warm, grandmotherly smile.  
“Really?” The fawn asked as she looked up at the older fox.  
“Yes,” The vixen replied as her husband’s hand dove into the sack to pull out the fox plush the fawn had been looking at earlier.  
Ellie let out a gasp and a little squeal of joy. “Now I have mommy and Leezy!" the doe cried out before taking the plush from Richard’s hand and giving it a big, firm squeeze. “Thank you Grampa Rick and Mrs. Ruby!”  
“You’re welcome, kiddo,” Rick said with a satisfied smile as they continued down the hall.

Back in the suite, Felicity and Bogo were watching the last of the ice dancers leave the rink to make room for the players. Bogo's ear twitched and flicked towards the door.  
"Kids are back." He smirked. Felicity glanced at him with a mock scowl. He loved teasing her with his superior hearing. Before she could reply, the door burst open and Ellie bounded in, clutching her stuffed toys.  
"Mommy, Daddy! Grampa Rick got us jerseys! And I got another dolly!"  
"They're the real deal Momma!" Danny gushed. "Like, actual real jerseys!" Felicity nudged Bogo with a smile.  
"Told you they'd come back with jerseys. Did you guys thank Grampa Rick and Dr. Rowan?" Danny froze, the grin sliding from his face. He spun back to the door, his mouth open to speak, only to find Elise speaking to the elder foxes.  
"We thank you very much for your generous gifts. I know these were not cheap and the toy you got for Ellie makes her very happy. Thank you again."  
Rick smiled, arms opening wide, offering her a hug. “Your mom’s basically like our daughter,” he said, “And that makes you our grandkits… er… cubs?”  
"Kits will work." Elise returned the hug, though being very careful to watch her strength. "We have always considered ourselves more fox than rhino or bear or gazelle."  
"Ooh, are we doing hugs? I wanna hug! C'mere grandad!" Danny grinned, opening his own arms. Ellie, having set her plushies lovingly on her own seat, slipped under her larger siblings to Ruby's side, hugging her tightly and gently tapping her horn buds on the vixen.  
"Thank you for my shirt and my dolly."  
The old vixen smiled warmly, giving the top of her head a smooch between the horns. “You’re welcome, sweetie. We love seeing you three happy.”  
Rick let out a small grunt as he hugged Danny, not completely ready for how strong the bull rhino was. “Little… tight there… D-Danny.”  
“Oh. Sorry, Gandad.” The rhino said, face slightly flushed before he put the older fox back down onto his feet. "Forgot to watch my strength."  
“Perfectly fine, Danny m’boy! Saved me a trip to the chiropractor! Had that crick in my lower back for a month!” Rick said with a small stretch before patting Danny on the arm. “Now, make sure your mother has fun tonight,” he paused, “Especially when the second intermission rolls around.”  
“There’s a second intermission? How many of them do we get in a game?” The rhino asked, genuinely curious. For someone who loved sports, especially contact sports, there were still gaps in his knowledge.  
Elise let out a small snicker. “There are three periods with two intermissions, one after the first period and one after the second period.”  
“Oh. Wait! What’s going on during the second intermission?” In the excitement of watching the game and getting a real life jersey, he’d completely forgotten any of the announcements from earlier (though it wasn’t like he was paying too much attention to them).  
“The ceremony for Chris,” Ruby jumped into the conversation, giving the rhino’s hand a gentle pat.  
“Oh. Yeah,” Danny said, embarrassed at having forgotten all about the ceremony, but the two foxes didn’t seem to mind it at all as they continued to smile at him. “Just make sure to have fun,” the old vixen reminded him. “That’s the most important thing.”  
“I wouldn’t worry about that, Mrs. Ruby. Been having a blast all night!” The rhino beamed. “Thanks again for the jersey!”  
“You’re welcome, kiddo! Now, get back to your seat! Second period’s about to start!.” Rick grinned.


	8. 2nd Period

Danny, Elise, and Ellie barely had enough time to sit down before the second period started. Much like the end of the first period, the second period began somewhat slowly as both the Prairie Dogs and the Kings moved to a more defensive strategy. With both teams playing conservatively, the game became more about attempting to keep the puck for as long as possible more than rushing down the ice to get a goal. Not that the game still wasn’t fast paced, far from it. Players bolted down the ice back and forth as the controlling puck’s defenders moved to the blue lines, pushing their forwards and center tightly against the net. But playing such a defensive game cause such congestion that most of the shots were blocked, either by their own players on accident, by the defense, or the goalie, or went wide of their targets. As the period went on, it was easy to start seeing the frustrations building on both sides as pushing and shoving, especially around the goal became more and more prominent until it finally boiled over.  
After another save by Melinois, one of the Kings players shoved a Prairie Dog down onto the ice. What started off with a shove soon escalated as a gaggle of five players crowded around each other grabbing jerseys and shoving. Even the few trying to break up the shoving match found themselves buried in the kerfuffle. And then the fists began to fly. No one could really tell who threw the first punch, but soon enough the two mammals in the center of it all, two burly bears; one grizzly and one polar bear, were exchanging blows. Of sorts.

Danny leaned forward, smirking as he watched the impromptu boxing match begin to unfold while Elise put a paw over Ellie’s eyes.  
The rhino was laughing, something that drew a glare from his sister and an odd look from his mom and her fiance. To Danny, the “fight” was less boxing and more like a closed handed slapping, and reminded himself of when he’d get into fights at school and before Felicity had enrolled him in boxing classes. “What?” He finally said as the referees pulled the cluster of players apart before sending three players, one Prairie Dog for fighting, one King for the initial roughing, and a second King for fighting, to the penalty box causing both teams to put in one substitute. Unfortunately, the home team found themselves at an immediate disadvantage in as Saskatomin ended up with a Power Play.  
“Uhm… Elise?” Ellie called out from behind her sister’s massive white paw. “Can I watch the game now?”  
The question pulled the polar bear out of scowling at her younger brother, her face slightly flushing. “Yes. The fight is over,” she replied, rapidly pulling her hand away, giving the fawn a gentle smile only to turn back to give Danny another glare over his boisterous laughter.  
“Oh come on, that was barely a fight!” the young rhino put his hands up in defense. “No one even got a bloody nose. I got worse in my first year on the team!”  
“Keep in mind Danny, they’re wearing sharp blades on their feet.” Felicity said gently. She honestly couldn’t admonish the boy, she got a sort of thrill from the fight too. “If one of them slips in a mess like that, it would be all too easy for a skate to go astray and cause severe damage.”  
Danny let out a small shudder as his mind decided decided to create a scenario where that happened. “Y-yeah. S-sorry for laughing.”  
Bogo reached a hand over to pat the rhino on the shoulder. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much, Danny. It’s rare for that to happen. One of the reasons why they wear so much padding. Which does mean that when they throw down for fisticuffs it looks silly.”  
“Y-yeah but still,” Danny continued only to finish with his own audible shudder.

Luckily for everyone (especially Danny), the game resumed with only four remaining Kings on the ice as they crowded around the End Zone Faceoff Circle, since Melinois never put the puck back into play after catching it. The pipe organist attempted to get the crowd back into the game, playing a rendition of “Let’s Go Kings” causing most of the stadium to start stomping and clapping their hands. The song abruptly ended when the puck referee dropped the puck in the center of the circle, hockey sticks slapping at the little black disk to try to move it to one of their awaiting team mates. Finally, the puck moved out from the center, but in the wrong direction for the home team.   
A 5 versus 4 Power Play wasn’t a great scenario, and the Prairie Dogs looked poised to take advantage of that as their players moved into their earlier spots; two sitting on the Kings’ blue line and the other three close to the net. The Kings, however, were not looking to get scored on and clustered their four remaining players around the goalie, circling the proverbial wagons in an attempt to block whatever shot came their way.

“This doesn’t look good,” Felicity murmured as she leaned forward in her seat, hands reaching out to press against her knees.  
“It is a 5 v. 4, mother, also known as a Power Play,” Elise added, “the likelihood of the Kings getting a goal like this is extremely low.”  
The fox gently nodded her head as Bogo watched the ice below. “But they aren’t going to make it easy for the Dogs, either.”

The puck kept moving back and forth atop the blue line, and no Kings player dared to leave their encirclement, bumping up against the other two Prairie Dogs. One wrong move and Saskwatomin would score, and one wrong move would give Zootopia the puck and control of the game clock. Then entire crowd was on the edge of their seats, watching the Prairie Dogs seemingly waste time trying to find the perfect opening.  
Finally, something happened. The puck blasted from the blue line, soaring towards the goal causing the Kings to scramble to deflect or stop the shot. And then the goal siren blared. Everyone seemed completely confused at what had just happened; the crowds, the announcers, the Kings players, and even the Prairie Dogs. Everyone looked at one another, trying to figure out how anyone had scored with the mass of players encircled around the goal. As everyone looked around in confusion, the referees began to blow their whistles and wave their hands in order to draw attention to themselves while the head referee, a zebra, skated towards center ice. Every eye in the entire stadium moved looked right at him, including the video cameras as he spoke into the microphone on his shirt.  
“The previous goal is under review,” the voice boomed over the loudspeaker as a rumbling roar ripped through the crowd of spectators.

“They can review goals,” Danny asked as he looked over at Elise, “Like in football?”  
“Yes,” his sister replied, “I have never seen it done before, but it can be video reviewed to establish legitimacy.”  
Ellie tilted her head. “Legitimacy? I thought you counted every goal that went into the net. You know, like in soccer.”  
“Not every goal is counted in hockey,” the polar bear said, “it depends on how it was scored. You cannot kick the puck in with your skate, you cannot bounce the puck off of a referee, you cannot catch the puck and throw it into the goal, or interfere with the goalie by running into them, things such as those and a few others.”  
“So they’re looking to see if anyone did those things?” The doe asked before Danny could.  
“Exactly, but I also think they are trying to discover who scored the goal.” Elise replied as everyone started to look at the slow motion replay of the shot up on the jumbotron. 

The goal was clear as day now. Logan Runningwolf had taken the shot and it was deflected into the goal. Not by any stick. Nor did it ping off the side of the metal bars making up the goal. It was deflected off of the plastic plug at the butt end of Robin Rowan’s hockey stick. The shot was nothing less than miraculous. Not only because of the accuracy, but that it had actually worked.  
Everyone sat in stunned silence, no one really knowing how to react to the one in a billion shot that had just occurred. Even when the head referee skated back out onto the ice after the video review to announce the goal was allowed, no one seemed to react. Not until the announcer finally spoke in a bewildered voice, “Saskwatomin Prairie Dogs Goal. Number 75, Robin Rowan. Assisted by Number 13, Logan Running Wolf, and Number 48, Mathieu Linden.”

“Go Mr. Rowan!” Ellie cried, raising her fists in the air and bouncing in her seat. Danny smirked a bit and leaned forward, watching Robin get mobbed by his team.  
“That was a heck of a shot. This guy’s better than I thought.” He had to raise his voice over the roar of the Prairie Dogs fans in the crowd, even in their suite.  
“It is one of those strange rules in hockey. The person who deflects the shot is given the goal, even though Logan Runningwolf took the shot,” Elise pointed out. “His aim is incredibly accurate to hit Mr. Rowan’s stick in just the right spot. It took a great deal of skill and some luck.”  
“Lots of luck,” Bogo pointed out. “That could have easily ricochet at a different angle.”  
“Correct, father. Had Mr. Rowan moved his stick at the wrong time, it could have easily bounced into the air or right back onto the ice.” The polar bear added as the Power Play ended, allowing one of the penalized Kings to return to the ice as both teams headed back towards center ice.

All the while, Felicity was smiling to herself. Her old flame had come so far. He'd been skilled back in high school, but he'd come a long way since then. She could still recall the last game she'd seen him play back in the day; the state championship for St. Robin's. Both St. Robin’s and St. Marian’s had gotten to take the day off school to watch, and she'd spent the game on the sidelines, wrapped in Robin's Letterman jacket.

"Kody! Good luck today! I'll be cheering from the stands!" Felicity giggled. The teams and student body had just arrived, and the game was due to start soon, but Felicity and Kody had stolen a private moment in a rarely used hallway. The young vixen was beaming excitedly, and so was her boyfriend.   
“I’ll try to score a goal for you, sugar fox,” he said before leaning in to give her a kiss right on the lips, his tail sliding around to brush over hers while holding her hands. Felicity blushed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Despite dating for 3 years at this point, Felicity was still a little shy about kissing.  
"I'm sure you will. Oh! Here!" She dug into her pocket and pulled out a tiny carved figure. "Mama said if I carved it myself, it would bring you luck. It's St. Gladstone! He'll be able to fit in your pocket."  
Kody smiled as he reached down to take the small figurine from his girlfriend’s hand. “I’ll make sure he stays close,” he replied, gently putting the small figure in his pants pocket before leaning in to give her another kiss on the top of her head. “See ya after the game?”  
"As soon as I can slip away from the chaperones."  
"Speaking of, get out here." The young couple spun to see Felicity's middle sister Grace rounding the corner. "Mrs. Grazer is looking for you. I spun her a lie that you got carsick and we're shy about puking around the other kids. That excuse is thinning out. Sorry Rowan, but I gotta get her back. Good luck out there!" Felicity sighed in relief. Thank the gods above and below her sister had been allowed to volunteer to chaperone on this trip!  
"Thanks Gracie. On my way. Bye love."   
Kody leaned in to give her one last smooch. “You shud try to get a ride back with Grampa Rick and Gramma Ruby. That’s my plan at least. Rick said they’ll take us to Esther’s Steak House if we win! Or lose.”  
Felicity let out a purr at the thought of having real meat instead of bug patties. “I’ll try,” she said before blowing a kiss at the taller tod, who reached a hand out to grab the kiss from mid-air only to press his paw against his heart.  
The vixen could remember almost every minute of that game, especially when St. Cryill’s Academy in Tundratown, the favorite to win AND the school that had won nearly every State Championship since 1960, had scored first, then gone up 3-2 by the middle of the second period. The entire crowd had begun to chant, “Saint Robin!” over and over again.  
Everyone’s stomach was in knots as they waited for the final period of the State Championship.  
Felicity could remember hugging her boyfriend’s letterman jacket tightly against her, eyes closed as she prayed to the gods above and below, begging for them to let him score and St. Robin’s win their first Championship in 18 years. She could barely watch the game in front of her when the final period began. And then it had happened. One of Kody’s team mates tied to game 3-3 in the first 15 minutes, but Kody hadn’t had the chance to score yet.   
She rocked back and forth in her seat, holding onto the jacket as she hoped the charm she’d given him would work.  
Felicity could hear her heart throbbing in her chest as her eyes glued to every move, watching as both teams flew down the ice, smashing into one another and fighting over the puck as the crowd chanted, “Saint Robin’s!” Even the vixen found her mouth opening and joining in.  
As everyone watched the Archers found themselves deep in the Akula’s territory, everyone fighting over the puck. And then, it bounced off the boards and slid right into Kody’s waiting stick. The fox moved in just a little closer to the net before he shot. It looked like time stood completely still as the little black disk flew just above the ice and right between the goalie’s legs and into the net.  
The Zootopia Arcopolips erupted in cheers! Mammals flew off their seats, including Felicity as a tear of joy dribbled down her cheek as the Archers got in a quick celebration as they finally found themselves in the lead 4-3.  
The stadium began to get louder and louder as the clock began to slowly tick down. St. Cyrill’s Academy kept on the offensive, trying to score, but every shot was blocked by the goalie. Between the cheers, the spectators began to count down the clock as it hit 10 seconds left in the third period. “Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! TWO! ONE!”  
The horn blew and it was all over! St. Robin’s had done what so many had thought was impossible, beat St. Cyrill’s Academy.  
Felicity remembered hugging Grace tightly, crying tears of joy as the St. Robin’s players mobbed each other, some jumping over the side of the bench to embrace each other, a few of them crying. She vaguely remembered running along the glass beside Kody as chased her along, then jumping the guard rail. She remembered those arms wrapping around her, pulling her in close and hugging her tightly against his sweat soaked jersey and giving her a big kiss in front of a thousand cheering fans.

Felicity fanned her paw in front of her chin, a tear forming in the corner of her eye as the memory faded and reality set back in, only to realize that Martin was staring at her with a curious expression. “Are you all right, love?”  
“I-I’m fine. Just… reminiscing,” she replied, slowly regaining her composure. That was a long time ago, and a completely different life. Not just for her, but for Kody… er… Robin as well. She was happy with Martin Bogo, Chief of Police. And he was happy with Marian Rowan. And she knew that Robin would want her to be happy more than anything else in the world.   
Slowly, Felicity started to relax again, adjusting herself in her seat as she turned her attention back to the game.

Things seemed to slow down again, at least for the Prairie Dogs, who went back into a defensive stance against the Kings. The home team, now finding themselves trailing, moved towards an offensive blitz; trying to not only maintain control the puck, but put as many shots on the Saskwatomin goal as they could, hoping that one would eventually go in. Unfortunately for Zootopia, most of their shots managed to fly wide of the net or find their way into the goalie’s glove. The small contingent of Prairie Dogs fans who had flown down from Saskwatomin began to count loudly count down the remaining seconds in the second period… just like the St. Robin’s fans had done nearly two decades earlier. When the horn sounded ending the period, that small contingent sounded like they were the home crowd as they let out a mighty chant of “Go Dogs Go!”


	9. 2nd Intermission

"They're winning!" Ellie was on her feet again, pressed against the glass and eagerly watching the Dogs skate their victory lap. Danny sighed, visibly relaxing in this seat, having been clutching his chair arms like a lifeline the last five minutes. His priorities were starting to shift. Maybe these Prairie Dogs weren't so bad.  
"Any bets on who'll win, kids?" Felicity asked.  
"Prairie Dogs!"  
"Yeaaaah, I'm gonna bet on the Dogs too."  
"I believe I will keep my bet on the Kings."  
Felicity smiled widely, letting the children argue quietly as her gaze drifted over to the next box.

Josephine Hemming let out a long sigh of relief as the second period finished. Although she was much more into football, watching her son play hockey was an adrenaline rush in its own. The vixen had just settled back into her seat when a knock came from the suite’s door. Jo chewed on her bottom lip, knowing exactly what was coming next. Slowly, the fox stood up and fixed the replica of Chris’s jersey. Her husband looked up at her, ears falling against the top of his head, about to ask if he should come with her when she leaned in to give him a gentle kiss on the forehead. “Ah’ll b’back in jist a bit, sugar wolf.”  
“Okay,” he replied with a slight whimper as he watched her head out the suite to two well dressed mammals waiting to escort her down for the retirement ceremony.

Robin Rowan was exhausted in the locker room. The fox barely had enough time to sit down on the bench to take a quick load off when the coach came over to him and patted him on his shoulder, finger pointing back towards the entrance where two well dressed mammals were waiting. The tod let out a slight groan as he stood back up on his feat, getting his footing back on his skates. Oddly enough, just as he started to walk towards the exit, a number of players also stood up, giving him pats on the shoulders and fist bumps as he headed out for the ceremony.

Jo felt a bit out of place as she stood just inside the home team’s entry way. She was the only person there that wasn’t a member of the 1990-1991 Zootopia Kings Hockey Team, though most of the faces were distantly familiar, vaguely remembering from Chris’s funeral. But each and every player smiled and hugged her, saying they were happy to see her again. The only one the vixen remembered with complete clarity was Wayne Gretko. The smiling brown retriever had given her a massive hug, just like he’d done so many years ago just before giving her a kiss on each cheek. She was just about to say something to him when everyone’s attention turned behind them as her son slowly walked up on his skates.  
Wayne was the first to say something, that big grin on his face as he walked towards Robin and put an arm over his shoulder. “You know the last time I saw you, you were hiding behind your mother’s skirt,” he said with a chuckle. “Now look at you.”  
Robin blushed and smiled back. “Last time I saw you was on TV when you retired from the Zoo York Paladins.”  
“Been following my career, eh?” The lab smirked.  
“Well, you are my second favorite player.”  
“Outside your dad, of course.”  
“Of course.”  
Wayne let out a warm laugh as he patted Robin’s shoulder again. “Well, you look a lot like him. Play like him too. Wish you’d gone pro earlier.”  
“You and me both.” The tall fox said with his own smile.  
“Kings don’t know what they missed out on.” The dog added. “You and your mom are going to come out last. Right after me, since they’re retiring both numbers. Saving the best for last.”  
“They’re really going through with it, aren’t they” Robin huffed, smile fading.  
“I wouldn’t be too upset,” Wayne replied. “Rule says that only the family can allow another player to wear the number.”  
The younger fox’s ears perked up. “Really?”  
“Yep. Which means you’d be first in line to wear it,” the lab replied with a smirk before turning his attention back to the entrance.

The crowds seemed to settle down as the second period ended, many of them getting out of their seats to stretch or shop or refill their food and beer. Just as everyone began their rituals, the lights began to turn down slightly as the stadium announcer began to speak.  
“Ladies and Gentlemammals. Please turn your attention to Center Ice.”  
A spotlight fell on an arctic fox standing right in the middle of the rink as all the cameras focused on them.  
“Ladies and Gentlemammals. Hockey fans from all species and ages, everyone attending the game at the Stables Center and those tuning in on television, Zootube, and the MLH App. Tonight, we are here to honor those who put their lives on the line to keep us safe, and we are here to honor one of the most iconic Zootopia Kings teams since the founding of the franchise in 1967. The team that almost brought the Cup to Zootopia. The 1990-1991 Zootopia Kings!”  
The crowd stopped what they were doing and began to cheer. One by one, each player was announced, walking out onto a carpet laid out on the ice, waving to the crowd while a short series of career highlights were played on the jumbotron. They went through every player and every position, moving through them by their jersey number, but noticeably skipping Number 75, Chris Rowan.

Robin held onto his mother’s hand, gently squeezing it as he rocked back and forth on his skates. He wasn’t sure how the crowd was going to react to him being there and wearing his father’s number but on the opposing team. The only thing distracting him was the wagging brown furred tail of the excited Wayne Grekto in front of him as he patiently waited for them to announce his name. The fox had heard about the team retiring Wayne’s number, but the thought of them retiring his dad’s still made his stomach roll around, something that made him completely fidget.

"Ma, look! I can see Jo and Mr. Rowan!" Danny was pointing to the entryway where the two foxes could just be seen in the shadows.  
"Does he look nervous to you? I think he's nervous. He's doing the thing." Felicity stood and walked closer to the glass for a better view. Bogo raised an eyebrow.  
"Thing? What thing?"  
"Robin always rocked on his skates when he was nervous before a game."  
"Probably just emotions and stage jitters, love."

There was a smile on the announcer’s lips, along with the rest of the players as they all turned around to look at the team entrance, all eyes waiting for the announcement they knew as coming. “Number 99. Wayne Gretko!”  
The lab took a step forwards, clad in his purple and gold Kings throwback jersey, paws up in the air and waving at a cheering, screaming crowd while his near decade of career highlights playing for the Kings flew across the jumbotron, complete with announcer commentary from ZSNN.  
Even the Prairie Dog fans were whistling and clapping and cheering as the spotlight followed the greatest hockey player to ever live from the player’s entrance to center ice, even focusing on the old canine as he ran down the row, giving every one of his former teammates high fives before taking his place at the end of the row.  
Cameras flashed around as the cheering continued for a few long moments only to slowly die back down. “Ladies and Gentlemammals. Over three decades ago, the Zootopia Kings lost one of its best up and coming players. We have gathered here tonight to honor our lost Number 75, Christopher Richard “Red Streak” Rowan. Representing Chris Rowan is his surviving family, Josephine Hemming and his son, Robin Rowan.”

Felicity swallowed down a small sob as she listened. Poor Robin. Poor Jo. As much as this was meant to be a celebration of Chris and his career, this had to be a heartbreaking situation for those he'd had to leave behind. She felt warm hands grasp both of hers and looked to find Bogo on her right, looking straight ahead but gently stroking the back of her hand. Danny was at her left, his eyes glistening.   
"S'okay momma. It's okay to be sad for them. S'not a crime to cry." His own voice was cracking and he kept swallowing, trying to keep up his facade. Felicity simply clutched their hands tighter and turned back to the ice.

Robin gulped as he gave his mother’s hand another squeeze as they took the tentative steps out onto the carpet. They’d barely stepped out of the player’s entrance when Van Haylan’s Jump began to blare over the loudspeakers. Much to Robin’s relief, there weren’t any boos as the crowd began to cheer for him and Jo as several highlights of Chris’s brief time on the Zootopia Kings began to roll across the jumbotron. Even his dad’s old teammates were clapping as they slowly made their way towards center ice. When the two finally let go of each other’s paws, they began making their way down the line, shaking hands and exchanging hugs with each and every player until they took their spot at the very end of the line up. They’d barely gotten into their spot when the announcer turned to the audience and loudly proclaimed, “Ladies and Gentlemammals! Your 1990-1991 Zootopia Kings!”

The crowd erupted into cheers, many of them rising to their feet with whistles and thunderous applause, especially in suite A10. The whole family was on their feet and cheering. Danny gave a sharp whistle that carried out over the stands while Elise stood with hand over her heart in respect. Ellie, too young to fully understand much more beyond the fact that the fox on the screen matched her plush fox, clutched the toy tighter. Maybe if she hugged the toy hard enough for Mr. Rowan and his family, the fox would feel it up in heaven.

The announcer smiled as the crowd continued to cheer for another two or three minutes before trying to get their attention. “Ladies and Gentlemammals,” he started to say, though it took a second try until everyone finally quieted down. “Ladies and Gentlemammals. It is an honor and a privilege to be the Master of Ceremonies for tonight’s number retirement,” the fox paused. “Please turn your attention to the jumbotron as we honor Number 99, Wayne Gretko, Number 75, Christopher Rowan, and YOUR 1990-1991 Zootopia Kings.”

Every eye in the stadium turned to the large screens hanging in the middle of the arena as the lights faded. The team photo appeared while Can’t Stop Me Now by Monarchy began to play. The photo was soon replaced by a gray scale cut out of Wayne Gretko, with his name, number, and stats for the season. Perfectly timed, the image switched to another cut out, this time of Christopher Rowan, just as the singers said, “So Can’t Stop Me Now!” As the music immediately picked up, the photo cut to highlights of the season, mainly the goals that Gretko and Rowan scored complete with announcer commentary, everything perfectly timed to the music. Even when the music cut to the chorus, it showed old recordings of the team goofing around and celebrating. The crowd cheered and many started to sing along with the music as the video progressed into the Cup Finals. The song began to slow down as both it and the video ended with the double overtime loss in Game 7.

"Wait, they lost?!" Cried Danny. "But how? Why? They were doing so good!"  
"That is how the game goes Danny." Elise replied calmly. "Sometimes your opponent is just too strong, or perhaps the team morale was low. I suggest asking Benjamin."  
“You don’t have to. I remember that one,” Bogo chimed in. “I went home for supper with my parents, and dad decided to do some channel surfing since there wasn’t any foot… er… soccer on. He found the game right at the tail end of the first overtime. Everyone was completely exhausted, even the crowd was hoarse.”  
“So they lost because they were tired?” Danny asked, knowing exactly how many times he’d heard of boxers losing the belt, or their chance at the belt, after eleven and a half rounds.  
“Exactly. They’d all run out of steam. The Kings and the Nordics started playing sloppy, taking wild shots. And then one of those wild shots managed to slip by the goalie. And that was the game.”  
“Yes. Everyone hates sudden death overtime until their team wins,” Elise added as she sat back in her chair.  
“I’m sure Clawhauser, Andersen, and Fangmeyer would agree with you,” the buffalo mused. “Did you know they got in an argument on Chirper over whether or not a goal should have been counted?”  
“They must really love hockey,” Danny chuckled.  
“Oh, I’m sure they’ll never let us hear the end of it tomorrow,” Bogo laughed, “Win or Lose, they’ll talk about it until the next game.”  
The rhino chuckled. He’d probably do the same thing come Monday, whether the other guys on the team wanted to hear or not, but he was sure Barry would be eating it up. Last time he’d been over to the grizzly’s house, he’d seen a few of his cub pictures of him decked out in full hockey regalia. Part of Danny wished Bogo would have let him join them, but there was always next year. “At least this time, you’ll be able to join in the conversation, pops.”  
Bogo let out a snorting, smirking laugh. “Yes, but I don’t think I’ll be able to keep up. Considering those three have been ruling the ZPD Fantasy League since… whenever that started.”  
Elise was about to re-enter the conversation when the announcer began to speak once more.

“Ladies and Gentlemammals. Our first number to retire tonight, is Number 99, Wayne Gretko,” the arctic fox began. “Born in the town of Bradford, Grand-Lac, Wayne grew up with hockey in his blood. At the tender age of 10, he had scored over 350 goals and over 125 assists while playing Pee-Wee Hockey, garnering him international attention from Kanata and the United States. By the time he finished High School, he was already a member of the Kanatian Amateur Junior Hockey League with over 1,500 goals. Wayne was drafted in the first round of the 1979 MLH Hockey Expansion Draft, finding himself playing for the Erickson Wildcatters in Erickson, Prince Albert, Kanata. Wayne spent nearly a decade with the Wildcatters, scoring 579 Goals and 1,082 Assists.” 

Danny’s eyes went as wide as dinner plates while his sister, Elise giggled. “There is a reason why he is considered the best of all time,” the polar bear mused as she leaned back in her chair.  
“No kidding! I didn’t even know you could score that much!” The rhino replied, still agape at what he had just heard.

“After the 1987-1988 season, the Zootopia Kings traded two players, $20 million, and a First Round Draft Pick to the Prince Albert Wildcatters for Wayne Gretko, Martin McFly, and Mikhial Krushnikov. The 1988-1989 Season saw the Kings go to the postseason for the first time since 1982, losing in Conference Final to the Cavalry Smokejumpers. The 1989 MLH Draft saw the Zootopia Kings drafted a young player in the fourth round by the name of Christopher Rowan. The 1989-1990 Season saw the Kings miss the postseason, but the team had found a pairing that would make history. Putting Wayne Gretko and Christopher Rowan together on the same line saw the Kings soar into first place in their Division and make it all the way to the MLH Cup during the 1990-1991 Season. Wayne would continue to play for the Kings for the next five seasons, but the loss of Christopher Rowan would weigh heavily on the team, only returning twice to the postseason between 1991 and 1995. Mid-way through the 1995-1996 Season, Wayne was traded to the Nouvelle Orleans Jazz after scoring almost 250 Goals and 670 Assists while wearing a Kings jersey. Wayne would only spend one season with the Jazz before being traded to the Zoo York Paladins, ending his career after the 1998-1999 season. But fans of Wayne Gretko will always remember him wearing the Purple and Gold.”

The crowd began to cheer again and cameras flashed and people stood up to clap. The master of ceremonies let this continue for a good minute or two before speaking. “Please welcome, Wayne Gretko’s teammates to the microphone.”

The labrador chuckled as the mic was handed to the first person in line, the fox mouthing that he had 30 seconds to speak. Each player congratulated Wayne on his accomplishments, a few sharing a few quick tales that either lead to cheers or laughs from the crowd around them. Finally, they passed the microphone to Wayne, but he passed, handing it over to Josephine. The vixen flushed, not really knowing what to say before handing the mic to Robin. The large fox in his maize and maroon uniform gulped as he brought it up to his lips. “I… uhm… wasn’t expectin’ t’ have the mic in front of me right now,” he said, that small bit of twang in his voice. The crowd let out a small chuckle as all eyes were focused on him. “I don’t really have any great stories about you, Mr. Gretko. The first time I met you… was at the funeral. I was hiding behind momma’s skirt the entire time, but I r’member watching you and daddy on TV, and even after. You’ve probably heard this from every kid, but you and daddy were the reason why I started playing hockey. I wanted to be like you.”

The words were barely out of his mouth when the crowd began to cheer, making Robin’s face flush. Not finding anything else to say, he pushed the microphone back to Wayne, the old labrador smiling. “You’re not the first, Robin, but I’ll never get tired of hearing that,” he said before turning his attention to the crowds as he pulled a piece of paper out of his pants pocket while the crowd cheered and a few screamed out “Go Kings Go!”.   
“Thank you, everyone, very very much. This is such an amazing honor to have my jersey hanging up in the rafters. I would like to thank the Kings organization and ownership, but most of all, I want to thank my teammates and the fans. To my teammates; you never know who you’ll be paired up with, sometimes everyone is in sync but other times its complete chaos. But I was blessed to play with some of the greatest teammates I ever had. There’s a discussion I’ve heard about on-line, whether or not I should have fought to stay in Erickson or not. Well, I’m going to end the debate now; the move to the Kings was the best thing that could have happened for me.”

The crowd began to cheer again, letting out a mighty roar of happy applause and whistles, bringing a grin to the dog’s face. He let them go for about a minute before continuing. “I will never forget the life-long friends I made on the team. Whether we stayed together or moved to other teams, we always kept in touch.” Wayne paused for a moment. “And to the fans; Thank you for the support. Whether we were winning or losing, whether we made the playoffs or not, the Acropolis was always sold out. When I was traded to the Kings, all I heard about was how Zootopians were rude, uptight, in a rush, and impatient…”

A boo ripped through the crowd, something that made the lab smirk and chuckle as he continued. “But I learned quickly that everything I was told was wrong. I don’t know how many times fans would stop everything to talk to me, even on the street. Or in line at the grocery store. I will never forget how much the fans love their Zootopia Kings, and how much love they showed me and my family.” 

Wayne smiled as he handed the microphone back over to the announcer, the arctic fox grinning as he took over. “Ladies and Gentemammals. Please turn your attention to the jumbotron and the rafters as we officially retire Number 99.”

Every eye in the house turned their attention to the oversized jersey being slowly hoisted into the rafters, watching as it went higher and higher on steel cables until it finally stopped to hang there beside an older banner proclaiming the Kings as the 1990-1991 Conference Champions. Down below, thousands of screens from phones were lit up, tracking the jersey’s journey.  
"So it just hangs up there?" Asked Ellie.   
"Yup, so everyone can see it. Kinda like your art on the fridge." Danny reached over to ruffle her ears gently. The fawn giggled in understanding as her ears flicked about the top of her head.  
“Do they do that for everyone?”  
Elise shook her head. “Not everyone, Ellie. Just the best or most iconic players after they retire.”  
The doe nodded her head, her mind already fastforwarding to her own jersey retirement with the Zootopia United All-Stars. The mini-daydream brought a grin to her face. “They’re gonna hang mine up at Red Shield Park,” Ellie proclaimed proudly.  
“I’m sure they will, peanut,” Danny chuckled, “Right next to Hornz’s jersey.”  
Danny had barely finished when Hornz turned his head. “Ah’ll b’lewkin’ farward t’tha!” The older gazelle barked out with a smirking grin as he looked at Ellie, making the fawn blush like a Christmas tree light while giggling uncontrollably.  
The conversation was just about to continue when the announcer began to wrangle control of the crowd again.

“Ladies and Gentlemammals. Tonight is a solemn occasion for the Zootopia Kings as we retire the final number, Christopher Rowan’s 75.” The arctic fox said as he looked around the crowds and down the line. Robin seemed to be fidgeting, slightly uncomfortable for what was going to happen next as the announcer went back to his script.

“Born and raised in Zootopia, Christopher Richard Rowan began playing hockey at a young age, starting out in the Zootopia Pee-Wee League as a forward before becoming a starter on the St. Robin’s School for Males Middle School Varsity Team at age 11. He would later join the High School Varsity Team, leading the St. Robin’s Archers as Team Captain to their first State Championship in 1983, beating the St. Cyrill Akulas at the Zootopia Acropolis 3-2. Chris would sign to the Zootopia University Golden Lions and spend the next 4 years as a first string Varsity Forward. It was in his final year of college that he met his girlfriend, Josephine Grey, with the two having a son, Robin Rowan.”

Robin and Josephine’s ears flicked about the top of their heads. The Kings made it sound like the two never stopped seeing one another or had a major falling out, glossing over how Chris and Jo had never gotten married, trying to make it seem like they were a couple that never got around to tying the knot. Which was both truth and lie simultaneously; had Chris taken responsibility earlier and apologized, they’d probably have gotten married, but that didn’t happen until it was far too late.

“Chris would go on to sign for the Tundratown Glaciers, spending a single season with them before being drafted by the Zootopia Kings in the Fourth Round of the 1989 MLH Draft. Although he was a star on the third line, it wasn’t until the 1990-1991 Season, when he was put in as the First Line Right Winger that Chris truly began to shine, scoring 44 Goals and 46 Assists, and earning himself the nickname of The Red Streak. Unfortunately, after the end of the season, the 25 year old fox contracted MIV, which was complicated after contracting pneumonia. Christopher Richard Rowan would pass away at Zootopia Central Hospital on July 26th, 1991, surrounded by his family.”

“Well that was sugar coated,” Robin mumbled under his breath as he looked down the row of players then back to his mother. The vixen sighed softly. “Little white lies’n’such fer th’fans,” she whispered back.

“Before we retire Christopher Rowan’s jersey, his teammates and family would like to say a few words,” the announcer continued before handing the microphone to the first player in line, mouthing that he had 30 seconds to say something. For people Jo and Robin had met at Chris’s funeral, the players all seemed to have soothing words for Chris’s ex and his son. Robin put his arm around his mother’s shoulder, gently holding her as best he could through multiple layers of pads and clothing as she started to cry. Most of the team had only met them once, at Chris’s funeral, and the sweet words just brought back many good and one bad memory back to Josephine.

When the microphone passed to her, the orange-yellow colored fox let out a noticeable sniff as she looked at the crowd, even to the males her ex had spent some time around. Chris’s funeral had been a family affair, something quick to put his body to rest, but it seemed his soul had waited 30 years for this moment. The vixen had been surprised at how many times Chris had mentioned making things right, about how he was going to give her a big diamond ring, and come crawling to her saying he was sorry. She hugged her son tight, starting to cry onto his jersey when she finally held the microphone. With a shakey hand and much sniffling, she began to speak. “I… I loved Chris… more than… than anyone here could ever know… W-we had a son together… but… I wish…. I wish Chris would have told me… told me before….”

Robin swooped in to grab the microphone away from his mother, holding it up to his lips. He loved his mom. He loved his step-dad. And he loved his real dad. But there were things that maybe the fans weren’t really prepared for. “Mamma and daddy… they loved each other. But… well… I’m sure ya’ll read Romeo and Juliet, but… the endin’s diff’rent.” The fox gulped as he looked around. “I… I didn’t get t’meet daddy til…” He paused to calm his mind as he started to cry, trying to block out as many bad memories he could, pushing the weird medical equipment and tubes and… Robin closed his eyes, trying to calm his breath, but the tears were already rolling down his cheek as he tried to force himself into his idyllic place. “Til daddy passed away.” He forced the words out. “But… I loved Chris. Even before I knew he was my dad, I loved him. I loved watching him on the TV. And when mom told me that Chris Rowan was my dad, I just about died right there.”  
“Daddy was so busy that we never got to meet until… until the day he died, but… I will never forget that day, and I will never forget finally having a real family picture.” Robin felt the words sit in his throat, making him choke on them as tears began to fall freely down his cheeks. He tried to swallow, but they wouldn’t go down. And then, he felt arms wrapped around him, then another set, and another. Robin was crying like he was 4 again when he finally figured out that he was in the middle of the strongest hug he’d ever been in the center of.  
A clap began to sound from somewhere in the audience. One clap became 50, 50 became 100, 100 became 1,000. 1,000 became an entire stadium as the hug slowly began to loosen.  
Robin wiped his eyes as he gained composure. He handed the microphone back over to the master of ceremonies while holding onto his mother. The arctic fox coughed slightly as he spoke once more. “Ladies and Gentlemammals. Please turn your attention to the jumbotron and the rafters as we officially retire Number 75.”  
Everyone watched as the second and final jersey was hoisted into the air then up to the rafters, but unlike Gretko, the entire stadium didn’t make a sound as if to pay respect to their lost son and his family.  
“Ladies and Gentlemmals. This concludes the retirement ceremony,” the announcement boomed over the speakers. “The game will continue in five minutes.”

In the suite, Danny gave a quiet sniffle and scrubbed a fist across his eyes. He'd finally given in to his tears as the Jersey had gone up. Elise handed him a tissue from her purse. She understood her little brother's pain; he empathized with Robin over loving his estranged father, but never having a full connection.   
"S'not fair." Danny coughed a moment later. "Mr. Rowan shouldn't have lost his dad. No one should lose their dad. Or anyone."  
"It is sad." Elise said softly. "But he is well remembered and loved." She glanced at her mother, who had her head buried in Bogo's side as she wept, and whispered.  
"Need a hug?"  
Danny nodded. As open as he was about his emotions, he was still a young teen, and reluctant to show or be shown affection. The young bruin threw her arm around his shoulders and gave a squeeze.   
"I am here, little brother. I am here."   
The two stayed that way until the game began again.


	10. Winners!

Jo made her way back into the tunnel, arm around her son’s shoulder only to part ways with him with a gentle kiss to his cheek. Naturally, he gave her a big warm hug and a deep purr before letting her go to get back to his team. The older vixen waved her paw under her chin as she attempted to regain some composure, desperately hoping that her mascara wasn’t running while the two mammals escorted her back up to the suite level.  
Silently, Josephine slipped back into the suite, trying to make as little noise as she could with her sole intent on checking her makeup and doing any reapplications to make sure she looked every bit the Southern Belle she’d grown up to be. Snatching her purse, she glided back out into the hall and headed for the restroom, returning about three minutes late and looking completely recovered.  
Jo’s second entry garnered the attention of her family, each one coming up to give her a warm hug and exchange small pleasantries as she sat back down in her seat. Hubert put one of his big arms around her shoulder, pulling her close as they sat together, looking incredibly protective of his petite vixen to the point of giving the top of her head a lick. The fox giggled, giving the oversized canine a gentle pat on the tight only to rest her head on his shoulder, attention fully turned down to the ice below.

As the announcer promised, the final period started five minutes after the ceremony. With the Kings down by a goal, the focus became tying the game and then trying to get ahead. But the Dogs had been ready for just this predicament. Staying in a mammal-on-mammal defense and keeping control of the puck as long as possible began to pay off. The clock ticked down, going lower and lower as the home team struggled to get into a good position.

"Come on, come on!" Felicity urged the Dogs, her eyes trained on Robin. "Go guys, go, go, go!" Bogo leaned forward in his seat, eagerly watching the players race ever faster.   
"You can do it Mr. Rowan!" Ellie cried, holding her Chris plushie over her head. 

The clock ticked lower and lower as everyone watched. The Kings began to get desperate, taking every shot they could in hopes of tying the game. It was no longer about winning, it was about forcing overtime. And then, it happened again; a wild shot from Polarinski went wide, right into Rowan. The fox made a fast break for the goal, streaking down the ice just as his father had done years before. But at the last minute, he passed the puck behind him to Running Wolf. The maneuver caught Malinos by surprise and out of position. The puck screamed right past his face to sound the sirens and end the period and the game.

The crowd wasn’t sure what to do, save for the Saskwatomin fans who were celebrating. The Kings had just lost in the final period. The rowdier fans in the crowd were going ballistic, screaming and laughing and hugging one another in glee.

"They did it!!! They won!" Elise roared, losing her head completely and jumping to her feet. "Did you see that shot? And his skating! He was scarlet lightning on ice!" Felicity and Bogo   
looked at her in surprise. Normally, Elise was as stoic and steady as a glacier, but the adrenaline from the game seemed to have invigorated her to a breaking point. Ellie was pronking all over the suite, hugging her plushies and whooping. As much as she knew she should tell them to calm down, Felicity couldn't bring herself to scold or hush her children. She was just as excited as they were. 

The Rowans were all smiling, as were the Hemmings as they watched the Prairie Dogs do one quick victory circle around center ice before skating towards the tunnel, a few of doing victory fist pumps while holding onto their sticks. The last player disappeared off the ice when Hornz turned his attention over to Bogo and Marian.  
“Wail new. Lady Marian. Chaif Bogo. Wood ya fancy grabbin’ a point with me an th’boyos?” The gazelle grinned.  
“Same pub as always, Hornz,” the badger asked, smirking, her fingers rapidly typing out a message on her phone.  
“Carse, mah’lady. Ain’t nothin loik a point aht th’Laffin’ Bajar afterah match,” Hornz chuckled. “Will Lord Row’n b’ joinin’ oos?”  
Marian smiled. “I am asking him now, but we both know he will say yes. It is tradition after all.”  
"I'm all in for a pint if you are, Hornz." Bogo chuckled, standing and stretching his back. "I'd like to meet Rowan myself."  
"It would be nice to see Robin again. Do you kids feel up to it?" Felicity looked to her family and was met with gleeful grins.  
"Are you kidding?" said Danny. "Miss a chance to hang out with two sports stars? No way."  
"I would very much like to meet Lord Rowan as well. I want to hear about mother in her youth." Elise smiled, finally having regained her stoic nature. Ellie tugged Bogo's sleeve gently.  
"I'm not sleepy yet. Can I come too?"  
The cape buffalo looked down at the grinning fawn. She didn’t seem tired, at least not yet, probably from all the sugar and caffeine. He slowly turned his attention over to Hornz. “Do they allow…”  
“Carse they do. Tis a pub not a- Hornz started to say before catching himself. “but yer gonna ‘alf t’ keep an oi ahn’m th’ whole toim.”  
“Looks like we’re all in,” Bogo grinned.  
"Ruby, Grampa Rick? Are you all coming too?" Felicity asked, looking over the divider at Jo and Hubert. "The more the merrier after all."  
Rick let out a mighty yawn as he started to say something, making Ruby giggle and shake her head as she smiled at Felicity. “Jo and Hubert are heading out early tomorrow morning, and you know how grumpy Rick gets when he doesn’t get his 8 hours, so we’re going to have to head back to the apartment. But we absolutely should get together soon.”  
"Of course!" Felicity strode over to the divider and opened her arms to the family. "It was so great to see you both again. And Jo, Hubert, it was wonderful to meet you. Here, take my card; next time you're in town, come by my shop. Rick, if you give me a days notice, I'll bake your favorite blueberry pie recipe."  
“Don’t say…” Ruby was just about to tell her not to mention blueberry pie when Felicity did. Rick was already gently leaning against his wife when he heard his second favorite pairing of words, blueberry pie. His jaws opened and he started to drool hungrily. “Don’t say blueberry pie right around bed time,” his wife sighed and shook her head before taking the business card.  
Jo giggled as she moved over towards Felicity, leaning in to give the other vixen a hug. “Mmmm! I’ll b’sure t’ look ya up, sugar fox.”  
Felicity squeezed back warmly, smiling.  
"You and yours will always be welcome at my place. Have a safe trip home. Kids, come say goodbye to the Rowans and Hemmings!"  
Ruby, Josephine, and Rick leaned over the guardrail to shower Ellie, Elise, and Danny with hugs. The only one who didn’t participate was Hubert; not that he wasn’t a hugger, he just didn’t want to crush anyone. “Ya’ll’z welcum t’ come vizit us in Wuffsberg,” the lupine said with a smile, his drawl keeping him from saying Wolfsberg slightly.  
"We may just do that." Bogo smiled. "Fel might not have mentioned it, but the wedding is at her son's farm in the burrows. We'll have to come see you before we head home."  
"Or they can come to the wedding!" Said Danny excitedly.   
"Slow your roll kiddo." Bogo chuckled, patting the boy's shoulder. "That's a good three hour drive for them."  
Jo smiled. “Not that it ain’t temptin’, but that’s yer special day. Would be a might odd if’n yer ex’s mama’n’daddy showed up, don’tcha think? B’sides, ya’ll c’n come any time ya’ll wanna. You know that there Brisby Company went and rented a buncha Hubert’s daddy’s land. Word on th’ streets that they’s gonna build one of them amusement parks like the one they gots over’n Calisota.”  
"Maybe we can make a trip over for spring break." Felicity suggested. "We'll see how it all goes."  
"Speaking of going," Elise flicked her chin towards the United crew, who were heading out. "We should not leave them waiting."


End file.
